ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum declared Clemson coach Dabo Swinney’s run at the program finished after a 51-10 season-opening loss at LSU.
During a Monday appearance on “Get Up,” Finebaum unleashed his latest criticism of the longtime head coach.
“It’s over for Dabo Swinney,” Finebaum said.
The official “Get Up” account shared Finebaum’s remarks hours after the show aired, pairing the clip with graphics that underscored Clemson’s recent struggles in season openers and the Tigers’ long-shot College Football Playoff odds.
Finebaum, a longtime critic of Swinney’s recent decisions, said the blowout in Baton Rouge confirmed a decline that has been building for years.
“First of all, if you think you’re going to go out and get Chad Morris from the dollar store reject base and think you’re going to save your program, you’re not going to,” Finebaum said. “I am just in shock at some of Dabo Swinney’s moves. Bringing Chad Morris in. Going with the quarterback that he did. It’s over for Dabo Swinney.”
He acknowledged the line would sound extreme.
“I know that sounds hyperbolic. I know that sounds like oh, there’s Paul Finebaum screaming from the lawn, but it’s the truth. It’s been trending for a number of years. This team played for the national championship six and a half years ago against LSU. And mostly it’s been the bottom since then.”
LSU scored 51 unanswered points after Clemson’s early field goal and finished with 644 yards and 38 first downs. Clemson managed 145 yards, eight first downs and 40 rushing yards. It was the most lopsided defeat of Swinney’s tenure and Clemson’s worst loss since a 41-0 Gator Bowl defeat to Syracuse after the 1996 season.
Swinney, in his 19th season as head coach, entered the game with a 187-54 record and a .776 winning percentage. He has two national titles, in 2016 and 2018, and last reached the College Football Playoff in 2024. Clemson finished 7-6 in 2025 after a preseason No. 4 ranking and an early slump.
The Tigers have opened 0-1 in four of the last five seasons. On-screen graphics during Finebaum’s segment listed Clemson’s last six openers: 10 points and 145 yards at LSU this year, 10 points against LSU last season, three points against Georgia in 2024, seven at Duke in 2023, 41 at Georgia Tech in 2022 and three against Georgia in 2021.
DraftKings listed Clemson at +1350 to make the 12-team playoff, the 44th-shortest odds in the country. Swinney’s buyout stands at $57 million if the school parts with him before the end of 2026.
Swinney called the performance embarrassing after the game and said the best thing about it was that it was over. He has repeatedly pointed to Clemson’s run of championships and winning seasons when asked about recent results.
Finebaum argued those past successes no longer describe the present. The comments added to a growing debate over whether Swinney, 56, can adapt in an era defined by the transfer portal, name-image-likeness deals and rapid offensive change.
Clemson returns home Saturday against Georgia Southern. LSU, in Lane Kiffin’s debut, used the victory to announce itself as an early playoff contender after an offseason of controversy surrounding former NFL players and conference eligibility rules.
Finebaum stopped short of calling for an immediate firing. He said administrators should ask Swinney whether rehiring Morris and sticking with the current quarterback plan represented the program’s best available path forward.
