The day after Dabo Swinney delivered a fiery rant against his critics, ESPN’s Marcus Spears responded with some words for the Clemson coach.
On First Take, ESPN’s Marcus Spears responded to Dabo Swinney’s rant by suggesting the Clemson coach was letting emotions get the best of him.
“When you start bringing up the past, you’re in your feelings,” Spears said. “Everybody knows Dabo’s accolades and the success he’s had at Clemson. But every team you’ve been on has that saying: ‘What have you done for me lately?’ So when you’re not winning, people have the right to criticize. You’re 1-2 right now, and part of this is that he doesn’t want to be part of the new wave in college football.”
Spears argued that Swinney has made himself an easy target by resisting the transfer portal and NIL, tools other programs have embraced.
“There’s nothing to take away from what he’s accomplished,” Spears added. “But the reality is, as we sit here in September of 2025, you’re 1-2.”
Swinney, who spent 13 years as an assistant at Alabama, had fired back at critics on Tuesday, insisting he was built for scrutiny.
“What’s so bad about this program?” he asked. “What’s so bad about the worst season we’ve had in 14 years? How many programs in college football would sign up for only one nine-win season in that span, plus seven playoff appearances in 10 years? Who else can say that?
“If we stink because we haven’t played for a national championship since 2020, then I guess we stink. If it’s because we haven’t won one since 2019, I guess we stink. But why are we held to a different standard than all these other teams who haven’t won anything?”
The Tigers’ latest setback was a 24–21 loss to Georgia Tech on Saturday, a defeat that knocked them out of the polls.
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