​For the first time in several years, Dabo Swinney isn’t making bold promises about what Clemson football will accomplish this season. That doesn’t mean he’s lowered the standard for the program.Speaking Tuesday at Clemson’s media outing, Swinney made it clear he still believes the Tigers are headed back to the top of college football. Whether that happens this fall or farther down the road, he has no doubt about where the program is ultimately going.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“We’ve been to the top many times around here, and we’re gonna take Clemson back to the top. That’s going to happen,” Swinney said. “Whether it happens this year, I don’t know. But my main objective is to make sure we get the arrow pointed back where it needs to be, and that we’re a tougher football team mentally. That’s been a big focus for us.”Clemson spent much of the last decade setting the standard nationally, winning national championships in 2016 and 2018 while making six straight appearances in the College Football Playoff. The past few seasons have looked much different, culminating in last year’s 7-6 finish, but Swinney isn’t viewing that as a sign the Tigers have permanently fallen from the nation’s elite.Instead, he believes the next step is restoring the foundation that made Clemson one of the sport’s premier programs.“Just get the arrow pointed back where it needs to be,” Swinney said. “I don’t know if we’ll get all the way to the top of the mountain, but we need to get it pointed back in that direction.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhile Swinney acknowledged Clemson may still have work to do before competing for another national championship, he’s focused on making sure this year’s team shows the progress that wasn’t there a season ago. Asked what he wants to accomplish in 2026, his answer reflected that mindset.“I want to win more games,” Swinney said at Clemson’s media outing Tuesday.The Tigers entered last season with championship expectations but quickly found themselves out of the national conversation after a rough start. Swinney said that disappointment has already been put behind the program, with every bit of attention now centered on what this team can accomplish.“We’re way past all that. That page is turned, man,” Swinney said. “I mean, it’s ’26. … We’ve long moved past last year. It’s all about this team. We’ve been rolling since January. … It’s not really anything to balance at this point. It’s all about ’26.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLike Clemson fans, Dabo naturally wants to return to the peak of the game. We’ll have to see if they can actually get it done.Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Dabo Swinney wants to get Clemson ‘pointed in direction’ of back on top