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Paul Finebaum calls for Dabo Swinney to leave Clemson

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ESPN’s Paul Finebaum isn’t calling for Dabo Swinney to be fired. However, he is advising the Clemson head coach to willingly step away from the program. During an appearance on The Matt Barrie Show, Finebaum explained why he believes Swinney should end his time at Clemson’s helm.

“Every time I talk about Dabo, somebody takes it the wrong way. But, nobody here is suggesting Dabo Swinney be fired,” Finebaum said. “I am strongly suggesting Dabo Swinney get out of there, though. It’s gotten so bad, and I hate to see a Hall-of-Fame coach act that petulant and that poorly, and I don’t have any doubt he can find a job. And, sometimes, you just have to move on.

“We’ve all been there or known someone who has been there. And, I think his agent should look around and say, ‘OK, which one of these openings would be fun for me? Where can I go—’meaning Dabo Swinney—’Where I can just hit the restart button and quit being a cranky get-off-your-lawn guy and make these self deprecating jokes about getting fired.'”

Swinney is in his 18th season at Clemson and is on pace for his worst campaign since 2010. The Tigers are 3-5 this season and 2-4 in SEC play. Most recently, Swinney and Co. suffered a narrow 46-45 loss to Duke on Saturday.

The defeat marked the first time Clemson has lost four home games in a single season since 1980. While Dabo Swinney jokes about fans wanting him fired, he likely isn’t going anywhere. The 55-year-old earns approximately $11.4 million a year, the most in the ACC.

Per USA Today, if the school were to fire Swinney without cause, it would owe him a $60 million buyout. That’d be the second-largest buyout in history, only trailing former Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher. Despite Clemson’s struggles this season, Swinney and his team haven’t given up.

“Sometimes people think we don’t care. These guys care so much. That’s one of the worst locker rooms I’ve ever been a part of,” Swinney said after Clemson’s loss Saturday. “I’ve been a part of some bad ones, but there’s a ton of tears. Grown men crying, hurting. We all put so much into it.”

On Saturday, Clemson will look to bounce back as it squares off against Florida State at 7 p.m. ET. The game will air live on the ACC Network.