Paul Finebaum Blasts Dabo Swinney Before College Football Season
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ESPN’s Paul Finebaum has never shied away from controversy, and he made headlines on Friday morning during an appearance on “Get Up.”
Following several comments from Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney during ACC Media Day on Thursday, Finebaum took aim at the longtime coach for repeatedly referencing Clemson’s past success as the program looks to bounce back from a 2025 season in which it went 7-6 and lost in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Paul Finebaum’s Comments
Finebaum said Swinney is “stuck on stupid” because Swinney keeps trying to convince fans and the media that Clemson remains one of the top programs in college football.
“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,” Finebaum harshly added. “It’s not. It’s slipping and sliding away. … 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.”
“Dabo is just stuck on stupid right now trying to convince us that his program is still legitimate. It’s not.”@Finebaum is TIRED of hearing Dabo Swinney talk about the past 🏈 pic.twitter.com/fzux2ubj2x
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 17, 2026
Swinney Has Message for Critics
On Thursday, Swinney made it clear that he isn’t listening to the outside noise and acknowledged that Clemson likely won’t be a popular pick heading into the 2026 season.
“This year, ain’t none of y’all gonna pick us,” Swinney said. “Ain’t none of y’all gonna say anything good about us. I’ve been dead. I’m gone. I think I’m still here… If it was about what people predicted, I would’ve been gone a long time ago.”
“We’ve won 11 (ACC) championships in the last 15 years, and then you have a season like last year, and that’s what everyone wants to focus on,” he added. “We’re 151-7 when we lead in the fourth quarter, and two of those seven (losses) were last year.”
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