Paul Finebaum weighed in on Clemson coach Dabo Swinney’s public accusations of tampering against Ole Miss, calling the Tigers’ coach “whiny” and increasingly out of touch with modern college football.
Swinney went scorched earth last week, accusing Ole Miss coach Pete Golding of improperly recruiting linebacker Luke Ferrelli after the Cal transfer had signed a financial aid agreement and enrolled at Clemson. Swinney said Clemson planned to turn the Rebels into the NCAA, framing the situation as an example of adults failing to police the sport.
That approach drew criticism from Finebaum, who said Swinney’s rant hurts his own standing more than it damages Ole Miss.
“There’s Dabo Swinney, who just does the wrong thing at the wrong time,” Finebaum said on SEC Network. “He’s looking more distant, more out of touch, more antiquated than he has ever been. … That’s a bad look.”
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Finebaum added that in the NIL and transfer portal era, threats to “turn someone in” carry little weight. Coaches, he said, will do whatever it takes to acquire players, and the NCAA has shown little appetite or ability to enforce its own rules.
Swinney specifically alleged that Golding asked Ferrelli, “What’s the buyout?” — a claim Ole Miss has not addressed publicly. Finebaum argued that, whether true or not, the question reflects the current system governing player movement.
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While Clemson has leaned more into the portal recently, Finebaum believes the program is drifting further from national title contention. Having Swinney go off won’t reverse that trend and only reinforces the perception that he's fighting a battle the sport has already moved past.
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