FSU Football Rival Head Coach Goes Off on Clemson Fan During Radio Show

Florida State's rival Clemson might be dealing with some internal issues as Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney ripped a fan on radio.

One of the Florida State Seminoles' most tightly contested games this season came in Death Valley against the Clemson Tigers. A crucial overtime stop accompanied with an incredible snag from Keon Coleman lifted the Seminoles over the Tigers.

That game might have been one of the biggest bright spots in a rather dim season for Clemson. The Tigers are 4-4 on the college football season despite having one of the more talented rosters in the nation. 

Dabo Swinney and Clemson won National Championships in 2016 and 2018. They're a program that's dominated the last decade. Now, they're headed towards a very mediocre season, which happens from time to time. 

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However, when a mediocre season happens for a program with such high expectations in which the program was built by years of success, the fanbase can get rowdy. For example, check Lincoln Riley, who left Oklahoma after a bad year and took off to USC. Then, Brent Venables went 6-7 with the team in year one, which had people calling for his job.

The same thing is happening for Clemson fans, as one directly addressed the issue on Swinney's weekly radio appearance. The fan called into the show and asked about his salary and the team's issues.

"So, I’m curious. Why are we paying you $11.5 million to go 4-4?" the fan asked Swinney. 

Swinney is under contract with the Tigers through 2031. He took over as the team's head coach in 2008 and coached the full season in 2009 and he's been the head coach of the Tigers ever since. 

"You're part of the problem, to be honest with you," Swinney responded to the question. ""The appreciation, the expectation is greater than the appreciation. And that's the problem. We've won 12 10-plus-win seasons in a row. That's happened three times in 150 years."

Dabo Swinney gets fired up on his radio call-in show after obnoxious caller asks how he has a $10.5 million salary, calls him arrogant, insults his coaching hires, and compares him to former Clemson HC Tommy Bowden. pic.twitter.com/pfu164e49l

— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) October 31, 2023

Again, Clemson's recent years of success speaks for itself, and it's hard to imagine the program doesn't bounce back in a strong way. Well, that was before Swinney went for this fan's throat on the radio.

"Is this a bad year? Yeah. And it’s my responsibility. Take 100 percent responsibility for it. But all this bullcrap you’re thinking and all these narratives you read," Swinnery said. "Listen, man, you can have your opinion all you want. And you can apply for the job. And good luck to you." 

Maintaining a program that's constantly in the running for a national championship and holding that expectation isn't easy. Bad seasons are bound to happen. Talent won't always mesh, recruits won't always pan out and, nowadays, players will transfer out and find new teams.

Though he went on a rant first, Swinney eventually answered the question directly.

"To answer your question, I started as the lowest-paid coach in this freaking business," Swinney said. "And I’m where I am because I've worked my a-- off. Every single day. And I ain’t gonna let some smart a-- kid get on this phone and create this stuff."

Clemson has played in some tight games this year, and has lost some games they maybe should have won. Either way, the team and program could have a strong resurgence a year from now. 

Things change so quickly in sports, and given Swinney's track history and Clemson's dominance since 2011, they'll eventually find their way back to the top, especially with the ever-changing landscape of college football. Swinney, though, will have to embrace the new-age recruiting tactics and transfer portal to fully maximize championship windows and to compete on a yearly basis.

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