The Clemson Tigers did not have an ideal end to the regular season, losing their regular season finale to in-state rival South Carolina on Saturday. Their offense looked extremely flat in the game, and head coach Dabo Swinney faced some criticism regarding quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei on Monday.
Swinney held his call-in show Monday night, and a Clemson fan called into the show criticizing the team’s passing game.
The fan said that Clemson has been “without a passing game” for two years with Uiagalelei under center, and added that Clemson fans were looking for him to make a change at quarterback.
Swinney did not take too kindly to the fan questioning his decision-making, emphatically pushing back against the fan and saying that they “can hire somebody else” if people don’t like how he does his job.
“Well, that’s what I get paid to do. All I can tell you is I’m gonna do my job,” said Swinney via On3 Sports. “And if it comes a time where people don’t like how I do my job, then they can hire somebody else. But until then I ain’t ever gonna make decisions based on what other people want me to do. I can tell you that.
“If that’s the mindset of Clemson, there will be a new head coach here, and there will be a new staff every year. And we’ll be a very mediocre, inconsistent program. That’s how I look at it.”
It is a bold statement from Swinney, but he certainly has the track record to make the final call regarding his personnel on the field.
Clemson has been one of the most successful programs in recent memory, and much of that is thanks to Dabo Swinney.
There are certainly frustrations surrounding the program, but they are still one of the best teams in the country playing for an ACC Championship this weekend against North Carolina.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.