You can always tell when it’s an election year—the talking heads crank up the noise and start flipping their stories faster than a pancake on Bowman Field.
Paul Finebaum, the SEC’s loudest mouth and Clemson’s most persistent critic, is back at it—using his ESPN platform to take aim at Dabo Swinney, as if the airwaves were made for his anti-Tiger rants. On his latest show, he couldn’t resist tossing out another round of tired shots at our two-time national champion head coach.
"I don’t have any faith or belief in Dabo Swinney anymore," Finebaum stated.
Finebaum dropped that gem while looking ahead to Clemson’s massive 2026 opener—a true heavyweight showdown in Baton Rouge against LSU and their new head man, Lane Kiffin.
“It’s hard for me to believe that Clemson, with a new quarterback, is going to go into Baton Rouge and win that game,” Finebaum said.
But Finebaum wasn’t finished. He tried to make it sound like Coach Swinney is standing alone, claiming there’s only one person left in his corner—our own Chris from South Carolina, the legendary Tiger loyalist who calls Finebaum’s show and waves the Clemson flag every chance he gets.
“There’s literally only one person I know that still supports Dabo Swinney, and that’s Chris from South Carolina,” Finebaum said.
The Ultimate Flip-Flopper
Let’s not forget, Paul—just a year ago you were leading the Tiger parade, practically begging for a spot on the Hill and calling Clemson a 'legitimate contender for the national championship.' Funny how fast that orange blazer comes off when the going gets tough.
We all remember how last season went. The Tigers started out No. 4 in the AP Poll, dreams of another title burning bright, but had to battle through adversity and finished 7-6—the second-worst mark in Dabo’s incredible run.
But as soon as the Tigers hit a rough patch, Finebaum was the first to abandon ship. After that gut-wrenching loss to Syracuse on September 20, dropping us to 1-3 for the first time under Dabo, he wasted no time declaring it 'over' and calling for Coach Swinney to pack up and leave.
“There’s a lot of reasons for this, but my advice to Dabo – and I know he doesn’t like taking advice from people like me – is to get out of there,” Finebaum said at the time. “Be quiet. Quit talking, because he has no credibility now with his fan base. They’ve heard the whines before. He’s become a meme. For a really good coach, and I do believe he’s a really good coach, he’s become somewhat of a laughing stock every time he opens his mouth, and it’s time for him to do one of two things.
“It’s either consider another school, and I think he is hirable if he quits talking. Or just get away from football and become a TV guy. He’s very funny. He’s got more credentials than any other none-TV coach out there. And what I mean by that is Saban’s already got a job. I’m not talking about him. I’m talking about of the people that could leave coaching and go into TV, he would be very coveted. Or find someplace to go. There will be a lot of openings, and when you introduce Dabo Swinney, it’s not a bad look. Jimbo Fisher has done pretty well with leaning on one national championship. Dabo has a much better resume.”
Dabo’s Staying Power in Today’s Game
Finebaum’s fixation on Dabo’s old-school approach to the transfer portal and NIL is nothing new. Last December, when AL.com asked him to sum up coaches in one word, he called Swinney 'Grandpa'—a lazy jab at Dabo’s commitment to building a program the right way, with high school recruits and real culture.
But let’s be honest—at 56 and heading into his 19th season leading the Tigers, Dabo has built a true powerhouse on loyalty, brotherhood, and Clemson family. No mercenaries needed.
The best way to shut up the doubters? Go out and win when it matters most.
Tiger Nation gets its shot to make Finebaum eat every word on September 5. Clemson heads to Baton Rouge for a primetime showdown with LSU at 7:30 p.m. on ABC, and you better believe College GameDay will be there live for Lane Kiffin’s big debut. The stage doesn’t get any bigger.
Finebaum can keep running his mouth all he wants. We’ll see him—and every other doubter—under the lights in Death Valley South, where real Tigers roar.
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