Paul Finebaum Explains Feud with Clemson Tigers Coach Dabo Swinney

Feud with Legendary College Football Explained by Paul Finebaum.

For many years, coach Paul Finebaum has been a well-known figure in college football, especially in the SEC. His remarks, whether they are criticisms of coaches or hot takes, often make headlines. Dabo Swinney, the head coach of the Clemson Tigers, is one coach Finebaum regularly attacks. Finebaum used to call Swinney the “epicenter” of college football, but he now feels that Swinney’s “stubbornness and arrogance, and shortsightedness” have caused him to lose that title. On “The Paul Finebaum Show,” Finebaum talked about his continuous conflict with Swinney, stating that it started in the late 2010s. The dispute is not personal, he underlined.

“It’s kind of a long-running feud that’s mostly tongue in cheek,” Finebaum said. “It happened back when Alabama was playing Clemson every year for the national championship. I really don’t know exactly what happened. I’ve spoken to Dabo a couple of times about it; he’s called me, I’ve run into him, and there’s no personal bad blood between us.”

Swinney has an outstanding 180-47 record.

He has guided the team to two national titles throughout his tenure, both of which came after defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide. He is one of the few coaches who can say that they have defeated Nick Saban more often than not, as he has a 2-1 record overall versus the Crimson Tide in national championship games.

Swinney recently guided Clemson to its ninth ACC title in his tenure. The team participated in the College Football Playoffs once more, but was defeated by the Texas Longhorns (13-3) in the opening round. Next year, Swinney hopes to build on this success and bring Clemson back to the national spotlight.