ESPN personality Paul Finebaum has had plenty to say about Clemson and head coach Dabo Swinney over the course of the Tigers’ disappointing 2025 campaign.
This time, Finebaum attempted to sum up Swinney succinctly.
AL.com asked Finebaum for a single word to describe various college football coaches, including Swinney, following the 2025 regular season.
Finebaum’s word for the Tigers’ longtime head man?
“Grandpa,” Finebaum said.
Swinney, now finishing up his 18th season (and 17th full season) as Clemson’s head coach, is only 56 years old.
But of course, Finebaum’s “grandpa” description wasn’t centered around Swinney’s age. Rather, Finebaum was presumably referring to Swinney’s hesitancy to adapt to modern college football.
Finebaum has made it clear he believes Swinney’s reluctance to adapt to the changing college football landscape — specifically regarding NIL and the transfer portal — has caused his program to fall behind the times.
“It’s a very big factor, because he finally began to shift a little bit in the last year or two, but it was almost too late,” Finebaum said in late October. “And it’s really sad for me to say this, because I think everybody on this panel respects Dabo Swinney and appreciates that he has been one of the great coaches of this era, but that’s gone. It goes very quickly nowadays. And I think what’s even more irritating to that fanbase is he just keeps going to the well trying to live off of what he used to do, and unfortunately in college football, that doesn’t matter, especially if you don’t change. He did not change, and frankly, it’s too late.”
Finebaum has sounded off a lot on Swinney this year, with his team failing to live up to lofty expectations as the No. 4 team in the preseason AP Poll and a projected national title contender.
Following Clemson’s loss to Syracuse on Sept. 20 that dropped the Tigers to 1-3 for the first time ever under Swinney, Finebaum said he believed “it’s over” for Swinney at Clemson and “it’s time for him to go.” Finebaum suggested that Swinney should either leave Clemson to coach at another school, or become an analyst on TV like former coaches such as Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher.
“I think it’s over at Clemson. Let’s quit trying to sugarcoat it,” Finebaum said. “Sometimes it’s very difficult to get it back when you’ve lost it. He lost it, he got it back, now he’s lost it again and he’s lost it badly. It’s time for him to go.”
Following a 3-5 start to this season, Clemson bounced back to finish the regular season on a four-game winning streak to go 7-5 and become bowl eligible for a 27th consecutive season.
Swinney’s Tigers are now set to take on Penn State (6-6) in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on Dec. 27 (noon, ABC).