Paul Finebaum Makes His Opinion Of Dabo Swinney Extremely Clear

When Dabo Swinney was hired as the full-time head coach of the Clemson Tigers in 2009, the Tigers had only seven 10-or more-win seasons in their history, with the last being a run of four straight from 1987-90.

Since Swinney took over, the Tigers have achieved 12 straight seasons with 10 or more wins, almost double the previous total. However, their streak ended last season with a 9-4 record, marking their worst performance in over a decade.

Not only has Clemson's record dipped, but the Tigers haven't made the College Football Playoff since 2020 despite being perennial contenders. Furthermore, Clemson hasn't won a national championship since 2019.

This has led ESPN's Paul Finebaum to say that the best of Swinney's career is behind him, and he's no longer among the elites in the game.

"Everything in Dabo's career is in the rearview mirror," Finebaum said. "He was once at the epicenter of college football, and because of his stubbornness and arrogance and short-sidedness, he no longer is."

Finebaum mentioned that just because the best of Clemson and Swinney is in the past, it doesn't necessarily mean they won't make it to the playoffs this year. He stated that it's "not that hard" in the ACC to make it into the playoffs. However, Finebaum believes that Swinney may not regain the position he once held among the top coaches.

Finebaum concluded by emphatically stating that Clemson's era of dominance is over, and now the Tigers are simply "just another program."

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