Following Clemson’s humiliating 51-10 loss to LSU on Saturday night in Baton Rouge, ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum unleashed a scathing critique of head coach Dabo Swinney and his program.

The Week 1 matchup marked a horrific start to the 2026 season for Clemson, which was handed the worst defeat of Swinney’s head-coaching career.

Facing LSU in Lane Kiffin’s coaching debut for the Bayou Bengals, Swinney’s team was totally dominated and overwhelmed.

“This [LSU] is a potential national championship team. They left no doubt,” Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show. “Now, having said all that, they were not playing the best opposition. And that’s because Clemson is a shell of itself. I’ve been critical of Dabo Swinney for a long time, and the reason I’ve been critical is because this program has been sliding into the abyss.”

Finebaum continued to blast the state of the program, calling the team “horrifying to look at” and saying that Clemson has officially slid into a “second-tier program.”

“He cannot salvage this program,” Finebaum said of Swinney. “Clemson has become a second-tier program that will not go down well with a very proud fan base, but it’s the reality. I was told they might be the fourth-best team in the ACC. I think we’re being charitable. I mean, this program is horrifying to look at. Now they may match up later in the season against the middle of the pack of the ACC, but they’re not matching up with what I saw on Friday night in Miami, and they don’t look like they can match up with some of the other schools.”

Finebaum bluntly stated that the game has passed Swinney by and added that “it’s over for Dabo Swinney,” though he isn’t suggesting Clemson should fire its longtime head coach.

Finebaum also wants Swinney to stop using his Tuesday press conferences to remind people of what Clemson was in the glory days.

“It’s time for him to take a good long look at himself,” Finebaum said. “Quit the protestations every Tuesday when he shows up at the media. Quit trying to remind people of what he once was. He is no more. The game has passed him by. That doesn’t mean he can’t go someplace else and refresh. But comparing Dabo Swinney to Lane Kiffin yesterday was frightening. There is not that much difference in age. A couple of years. But it was almost tragic to look at, how badly Lane Kiffin outcoached, outmaneuvered and completely overwhelmed a guy who, six years ago, was facing the same team in the national championship game. …

“When I say it’s over, I don’t mean Clemson should fire him. That is not what I’m talking about. Clemson’s administrators, though, should talk to Dabo Swinney and say, ‘This is the best you can come up with?’ You went out and hired Chad Morris, who has been run out of a number of places since his last glory days, and you thought that was going to solve the problem? Are you serious? That’s like your air conditioning breaking in your new house, and then you go down to a trading lot and get an old air conditioner that’s already been broken down and think that’s going to fix it.”

Finebaum shared some advice for Swinney, telling him to “get out while you can.”

Finebaum advised Swinney to consult his agent and look for an exit strategy to a “second-tier team” in a good conference before Clemson’s program “goes down in utter flames.”

“Dabo’s got an agent, like we all do. He should talk to his agent, say keep your eye on a good league, second-tier team, and get me out of here,” Finebaum said. “Because I can’t keep reminding the Clemson fans that we were once good. We’re no longer good. We suck. We’re terrible, we’re embarrassing.

“I’m telling you, Dabo – get out. Get out while you can. Get out before your program literally goes down in utter flames. Because on the big stage, which you were on Saturday night, you failed. You can’t cut it there anymore.”

LSU racked up 38 first downs and 644 yards of total offense (335 passing, 309 rushing), while Clemson mustered only eight first downs and 145 total yards (105 passing, 40 rushing). By halftime, LSU had outgained Clemson 336 yards to 54, amassed 21 first downs to Clemson’s one, and led 31-3.

It marks Clemson’s fourth consecutive season-opening defeat and fifth in the past six seasons.

Following the game, Swinney admitted that his team “got our ass kicked” in what he rightfully called an “embarrassing performance.”

“The best thing about that one is it’s over,” Swinney said.