The Clemson Tigers came into the 2025 college football season as a sneaky pick to compete for the national title.
Four weeks into the season, they find themselves at 1-3 after getting beaten down at home by Syracuse.
Now, instead of questions about where Clemson can be seeded in the CFP, the questions are about longtime head coach Dabo Swinney’s job security and whether it’s time for the national champion to move on.
The whole situation also brings to mind a classic Dabo moment.
In 2023, five years removed from their national title, Swinney was confronted on his weekly call-in show by Tyler from Spartanburg, who questioned the coach about his $115 million contract, given that the team had gone 4-4 up to that point.
Swinney did not appreciate the question and comments from Tyler and went off on him as an avatar for all the grumbling Clemson fans out there, who he felt had become ungrateful due to the program’s success.
“Hey Tyler,” Swinney started as he went into his rant. “I’ve listened to enough of you, Tyler. You can have all your opinions that you want. I don’t know how old you are, don’t really care. But let me tell you something. We won 11 games last year.
“And you’re part of the problem, to be honest with you. Because that is part of the problem. It’s people like you — the appreciation, the expectation is greater than the appreciation. And that’s the problem.
“…What’s happened at Clemson is — we’ve won so much — it used to be the fun was in the winning,” he said. “Now even when you win, people like you complain and criticize the coaches and question everything. …
“People like you who just love to destroy people with your comments, all right? I’m sure you’ve never made any bad decisions. I’m sure you’ve lived a perfect life. I’m sure you’ve led a bunch of people.
“So to answer your question, I started as the lowest-paid coach in this freaking business, all right? And I’m where I am because I worked my ass off every single day. And I ain’t gonna let some smartass kid get on this phone and create this stuff. So if you’ve got a problem with that, I don’t care.”
The following season, Swinney stopped talking calls on his radio show.
The Tigers finished that season 9-4 and went 10-4 last year, losing in the first round of the CFP. Those are solid records, but they’re not what Clemson fans have grown accustomed to. And now, with a 1-3 start, calls for Swinney to step down or be removed are growing louder.
That is causing many people to wonder if and when Tyler from Spartanburg might show up to exact his revenge.
Tyler from Spartanburg, your time may be now.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.