Clemson's Dabo Swinney Defends Resume in Rant Against 'Smart-Ass Kid' on Radio Show

Clemson's ongoing downward trend took quite the turn Monday.

Dabo Swinney got into a fiery exchange with a fan who called into his radio show and questioned the head coach's $11.5 million salary during a terrible start to the season for the Tigers.

"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 ass off every single day. And I ain't gonna let some smart-ass kid get on this phone and create this stuff. So if you've got a problem with that, I don't care."

Griffin McVeigh of On 3 noted that was in reference to Swinney being among the lowest-paid head coaches in college football when he initially took over the position in 2008 after he was the assistant head coach and wide receiver coach.

The head coach didn't stop there and told the fan he was "part of the problem" and should apply for the position himself if he wanted it.

While Swinney deserves plenty of credit for building Clemson into a national powerhouse with two College Football Playoff titles and eight ACC championships during his tenure, things have been going in the wrong direction of late.

The Tigers lost a combined seven games in six seasons from 2015 through 2020 but lost three games in 2021 and three more games in 2022. If fans were frustrated with back-to-back three-loss campaigns that included a Cheez-It Bowl appearance, they certainly aren't pleased with a 4-4 start to a 2023 season that might not even feature a bowl game without a quick turnaround.

Throw in Swinney's reluctance to embrace the transfer portal in the modern-era of college football, his previous critical comments about players being paid and his feuds with fans this year, and frustration is building around the program.

This isn't even the first time Swinney has seemingly gone after fans this season, as he told reporters earlier this month "maybe we need to lose a few games and lighten up the bandwagon. Sometimes the bandwagon can get a little too full."

There was a time when Swinney was fighting with the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia and others for national championships. Now he is fighting his own fanbase as he tries to salvage enough wins in a season to qualify for the Sun Bowl.