It’s no secret that ESPN personality Paul Finebaum remains a vocal critic of Clemson and head coach Dabo Swinney, with Finebaum continuing to take plenty of shots this offseason at the Tigers’ longtime head coach.
Well, Finebaum is at it once again when it comes to talking about Clemson. But this time, his jab was more directed at the Clemson fan base.
Finebaum was asked to name the most annoying fan base he deals with on a regular basis, and he singled out Clemson fans first and foremost.
“Overall? Clemson fans are just absurd,” Finebaum said, via Brooks Austin. “Because they think they’re relevant. I get asked a couple times a year, what do you think about Dabo Swinney? And my answer’s the same, and they all start tweeting, ‘Oh man, Dabo Swinney living rent free in Paul Finebaum’s brain.’”
Finebaum then took the opportunity to take another swift swipe at Swinney.
“Now, Dabo Swinney is not living rent free in any – I mean, Shane Beamer is beating this guy,” Finebaum said.
Beamer has beaten Swinney twice as South Carolina’s head coach, but Swinney still owns a 3-2 head-to-head record against Beamer, including a 28-14 win over Beamer’s Gamecocks in Columbia last year, and Clemson has won two of the last three matchups against South Carolina.
Speaking of Beamer, Finebaum recently weighed in on whether Beamer or Swinney is under more pressure entering the 2026 season.
“I think Dabo should have more pressure because at least Beamer’s shown some signs of life lately,” Finebaum told Jordan Kaye of The State from SEC Media Days. “The only time Dabo is relevant is when he’s talking about the past, and that’s all he does.”
Finebaum never shies away from opportunities to take shots at Swinney, and Finebaum once again took his shots during a recent appearance on Get Up, saying that Swinney is “stuck on stupid.”
“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. It’s not. It’s slipping and sliding away. It’s good. 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.”
Finebaum also recently dissed Swinney by remarking that “nobody wants Dabo Swinney” as their coach. Finebaum questioned Swinney’s contract leverage and says no other major program has ever seriously tried to hire him.
“First of all, these buyouts are absurd. … What program has ever tried to hire Dabo Swinney? Why do you get that type of leverage at the back end of your contract. Dabo’s never gotten an offer,” Finebaum said.
“People can get upset about [Alabama head coach Kalen] DeBoer, but the reason he got the contract [new seven-year, $87.5 million extension] is that they thought he might leave,” Finebaum added. “Nobody wants Dabo Swinney. Alabama, his alma mater, could’ve easily called him. That didn’t even enter their thought process.”
In May, Finebaum stated, “I don’t have any faith or belief in Dabo Swinney anymore.” Finebaum added that there’s “literally only one person” he knows who still has Swinney’s back – “Chris from South Carolina” – a frequent caller to The Paul Finebaum Show who is a loyal, die-hard Clemson fan known for his unwavering defense of Swinney.
In June, Finebaum cast doubt on Clemson’s ability to win even nine games this year, following last year’s seven-win season.
“I think he’ll have a winning season. I think another good 8-4 season for Dabo,” Finebaum said.
Finebaum agreed with a caller who said “LSU is going to clean [Swinney’s] clock” in the 2026 season opener.
Swinney, 56, will kick off his 19th season (and 18th full season) as Clemson’s head coach in 2026 when his Tigers face the LSU Tigers and new head coach Lane Kiffin at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., on Sept. 5 (7:30 p.m., ABC).