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Paul Finebaum is keeping the criticism of Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney coming.
After Swinney reflected on Clemsonfootball’s recent success and last season’s disappointing finish during ACC Kickoff on Thursday, Finebaum responded on Friday’s edition of ESPN’s Get Up, arguing the Tigers are no longer among college football’s elite.
“I am getting so exasperated listening to Dabo tell us how great he used to be. They’re not great anymore,” Finebaum said. “You don’t hear (Tom) Brady talking about his Super Bowls. Dabo is just stuck on stupid right now, trying to convince us that his program is still legitimate. It’s not. It’s slipping and sliding away. It’s good. Maybe they’ll win nine games this year or maybe they won’t. But they lost six games last year with the Heisman favorite (Cade Klubnik). That is downright embarrassing.”
Finebaum’s comments came after Swinney acknowledged Clemson deserved the criticism following last year’s 7-6 season while reminding reporters what the program has accomplished under his leadership.
“We’ve had 15 winning seasons, 13 ten-plus win seasons, 14 nine-plus win seasons,” Swinney said. “We’ve won 11 championships in the last 15 years, and then you have a season like last year, and that’s kind of what everybody wants to focus on, and I get that. We earned that.
“This year, ain’t none of y’all going to pick us. Ain’t none of y’all going to say anything good about us. I’ve been dead. I’m gone. I think I’m still here, right? But it’s not about that either. It never has been. If it was about what people predicted, I would have been gone a long time ago. Right? It’s about what you do.”
Not everyone at ESPN agreed with Finebaum’s take. Heather Dinich defended Swinney during Thursday’s ACC Kickoff coverage, pointing to his overall body of work.
“You guys are so harsh, man. Dabo is the winningest coach in Clemson, he’s won national titles. I mean, golly. I think this season was an anomaly. I don’t think you can just erase what he’s built there.”
Swinney also accepted responsibility for Clemson’s struggles in 2025.
“We didn’t win the close games. We didn’t finish in the fourth quarter. We didn’t run the ball effectively. We played the worst pass defense in my coaching career,” Swinney said. “That’s my fault, but it’s football stuff. That’s our focus.”
He added that outside criticism doesn’t change his perspective.
“The foundation of my life is built on faith,” Swinney said. “You get a lot of love, and you get a lot of hate… But that’s why I’ve built my life on a foundation of faith because God’s promises, God’s peace and grace, that never changes.”
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: Paul Finebaum tears into Dabo Swinney again, Clemson coach ‘stuck on stupid’
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After Swinney reflected on Clemsonfootball’s recent success and last season’s disappointing finish during ACC Kickoff on Thursday, Finebaum responded on Friday’s edition of ESPN’s Get Up, arguing the Tigers are no longer among college football’s elite.
“I am getting so exasperated listening to Dabo tell us how great he used to be. They’re not great anymore,” Finebaum said. “You don’t hear (Tom) Brady talking about his Super Bowls. Dabo is just stuck on stupid right now, trying to convince us that his program is still legitimate. It’s not. It’s slipping and sliding away. It’s good. Maybe they’ll win nine games this year or maybe they won’t. But they lost six games last year with the Heisman favorite (Cade Klubnik). That is downright embarrassing.”
Finebaum’s comments came after Swinney acknowledged Clemson deserved the criticism following last year’s 7-6 season while reminding reporters what the program has accomplished under his leadership.
“We’ve had 15 winning seasons, 13 ten-plus win seasons, 14 nine-plus win seasons,” Swinney said. “We’ve won 11 championships in the last 15 years, and then you have a season like last year, and that’s kind of what everybody wants to focus on, and I get that. We earned that.
“This year, ain’t none of y’all going to pick us. Ain’t none of y’all going to say anything good about us. I’ve been dead. I’m gone. I think I’m still here, right? But it’s not about that either. It never has been. If it was about what people predicted, I would have been gone a long time ago. Right? It’s about what you do.”
Not everyone at ESPN agreed with Finebaum’s take. Heather Dinich defended Swinney during Thursday’s ACC Kickoff coverage, pointing to his overall body of work.
“You guys are so harsh, man. Dabo is the winningest coach in Clemson, he’s won national titles. I mean, golly. I think this season was an anomaly. I don’t think you can just erase what he’s built there.”
Swinney also accepted responsibility for Clemson’s struggles in 2025.
“We didn’t win the close games. We didn’t finish in the fourth quarter. We didn’t run the ball effectively. We played the worst pass defense in my coaching career,” Swinney said. “That’s my fault, but it’s football stuff. That’s our focus.”
He added that outside criticism doesn’t change his perspective.
“The foundation of my life is built on faith,” Swinney said. “You get a lot of love, and you get a lot of hate… But that’s why I’ve built my life on a foundation of faith because God’s promises, God’s peace and grace, that never changes.”
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: Paul Finebaum tears into Dabo Swinney again, Clemson coach ‘stuck on stupid’
Continue reading...
