Clemson used to be almost automatic under Dabo Swinney. The Tigers won 10 or more games for 11 straight seasons from 2011-2021. But that version of Clemson seems much less gone now. Clemson finished 7-6 in the 2025 season. In a conference where Miami, SMU, and others are making pushes to the top, it attracted a mountain of criticism. Now, Paul Finebaum is taking the criticism to another level.

During an August 13 discussion on the 680 The Fan podcast, Finebaum was asked what people would be saying about Swinney at the end of the 2026 season. “I think we’re saying that Dabo should be run out of town cuz I don’t think Dabo Swinney has control of that program anymore,” Finebaum said without any hesitation.

Last year, the Tigers had high hopes for the 2025 season. Clemson entered last season ranked No. 4 nationally, and the Tigers lost their opener to LSU. Later in the season, they dropped three straight games against Georgia Tech, Syracuse and SMU. Then there was the mind-boggling loss of a wild 45-46 game to Duke. The Tigers’ HC has won a lot of games. None were tougher than the three September losses during a tumultuous 2025 season.

He is not some coach hanging onto a job because of one good season from a decade ago. Swinney has won two national championships, nine ACC titles and owns a 187-53 record as Clemson’s head coach entering 2026. The problem is what has happened lately. Clemson went 11-3 in 2022, 9-4 in 2023, 10-4 in 2024 and then fell all the way to 7-6 last year. The 2025 season was Swinney’s second-worst full season as Clemson’s head coach. That’s hard to ignore despite Swinney’s illustrious past.

The argument is not that Swinney suddenly forgot how to coach. It is whether Clemson has fallen behind while college football has changed around him. That question has followed Swinney for several years. His approach to the transfer portal and NIL has drawn criticism, particularly as other major programs aggressively use transfers to fill holes. Instead, Clemson has historically leaned much more heavily on high school recruiting and developing its own players.

This year, Clemson has also lost some of the players who helped define its recent era. Cade Klubnik is now in the NFL after being selected by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2026 draft. Klubnik had started 38 games at Clemson and finished 2025 with 2,943 passing yards and 16 touchdowns. Swinney has now handed the quarterback job to Christopher Vizzina, who has far less experience.

That makes 2026 a fascinating season. The Tigers cannot afford another year of drifting around the middle of the ACC. The schedule gives them opportunities, too. Clemson opens against LSU and also faces Georgia Southern, Cal, Duke and South Carolina. The Tigers will play several games against teams with major expectations, and the ACC race should again be crowded. Is it about time that Swinney justifies his 10-year $115 million contract?