Clemson’s 2024 season began on a sour note as they suffered a disappointing 34-3 defeat at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs in Atlanta on Saturday.
While the Dawgs may very well be the best team in the country, the fact of the matter is it wasn’t that long ago when Clemson used to be in the same exact class as Georgia.
It’s been one of the biggest storylines in college football over the past year: Has the game passed Dabo Swinney by?
The loss to Georgia highlighted a troubling trend for the Tigers, who have struggled against top-tier teams in recent years.
Since making the College Football Playoff every season from 2015 to 2020, Clemson has not returned to the playoff stage, raising questions about Swinney’s ability to adapt to the evolving landscape of college football.
Among Swinney’s most vocal critics is ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, who wasted no time criticizing the Clemson head coach following the rout in Atlanta.
Appearing on “Get Up,” Finebaum went as far as calling Swinney “stupid” for failing to adjust to the new world of college football.
“Sadly, it seems like Dabo, this time, is really done at Clemson,” Finebaum said. “We’ve been writing them off for some time, but they’ve been hanging around. But they were up against the best kid on the block on Saturday, and they got manhandled.
“There’s nowhere to go for Dabo Swinney. He can complain about the criticism. He can say he’s doing the right thing. But clearly, he has screwed up badly, refusing to go into the portal.”
Finebaum didn’t stop there, further criticizing Swinney’s reluctance to embrace the transfer portal, a tool many successful programs now use to bolster their rosters.
“Nobody’s trying to make Dabo out to be terrible, but what he is, is stubborn, and I would go so far as to say stupid,” Finebaum continued.
“If you don’t use the tools you have at your disposal, you’re dumb in today’s world of college football. The problem is, we can’t have a conversation with Dabo Swinney without talking about the past.
“We’re living in the present and moving toward the future, and I’m around Clemson fans. I don’t live too far from where Clemson University is headquartered, and, quite frankly, those fans are frustrated, too.”
Clemson’s struggles in recent years have been largely attributed to Swinney’s refusal to use the transfer portal to build his roster.
Notably, Clemson remains the only FBS team that hasn’t started a single transfer player during the portal era and was the only program not to add a transfer this offseason.
But the issues extend beyond just the portal.
Clemson’s recruiting, particularly at the skill positions, has also taken a hit. During their dominant run from 2015 to 2020, Clemson enjoyed exceptional quarterback play from Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence, who were throwing to elite, NFL-caliber receivers like Tee Higgins, Mike Williams, and Justyn Ross, with Travis Etienne providing explosive plays out of the backfield.
However, since 2020, Swinney has struggled to attract and develop talent at the same level, especially on offense, leading to Clemson’s decline relative to other top programs.
While Finebaum and many others disagree, it’s hard not to respect Swinney for sticking to his guns and refusing to compromise his beliefs.
Of course, many can argue that his stance has knocked the program down a peg or two in the big picture – and that’s an ongoing situation.
However, few programs have as strong of a culture as Clemson does. While Finebaum has already written Swinney off, the fact is betting against Dabo is always a very risky proposition.
Do you think he can get the Tigers back on track and bring the program back to the nation’s elite? … Or are the golden days of Clemson football officially over?
If this concerning trend continues, should Clemson consider firing Dabo???