Clemson head coach and two-time national champion Dabo Swinney has a chance to be a hero of college football on Saturday when his Tigers head to Baton Rouge to take on Lane Kiffin’s LSU Tigers. But he’s largely in that position because the Tigers have taken advantage of a period of relative lawlessness in the sport. And he’s not a fan, to say the least.
Appearing on The Stephen A. Smith Show this week, Swinney lamented the state of college football, calling it a time of “no rules” and “no governance.” He said that he doesn’t blame the players, but finds the entire system “embarrassing” right now.
“Yeah. So, I mean, it’s been crazy. I said this yesterday. I do not blame the young men or them trying to maximize and take advantage of the system that’s in place,” Swinney said. “I just think the system’s embarrassing. I think it’s an embarrassment that we’re dealing with something like this. You know, we’re getting ready to play that football game in a few days and we still don’t know what the rules are. But it’s a microcosm, Stephen A, of college football.
“There are no rules. There’s no governance. You can take people out of a week of class and send them somewhere else. There’s tampering. It’s insane. It’s just really laughable. So I just kind of focus on my deal here, and so I think it’s just an embarrassing thing that we’re dealing with.”
LSU the Villains
Swinney doesn’t relish the idea of having to take on a team that has literally recruited a former NFL player – tight end Dae’Quan Wright – to play in 2026. LSU head coach Lane Kiffin has defended the decision, saying that he has the support of his players as well:
“Every one of them was emphatic about, ‘If they can help us win, bring them,’” Kiffin said Monday. “We understand that we have a team that has practiced together, worked together all offseason, but one of them said, ‘Hey, this is how it works at the next level, and this is how the real world works.’ That made me feel a little better in the struggle and being torn back and forth.”
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Kiffin’s Tigers will be double-digit favorites against Swinney’s Tigers on Saturday in Baton Rouge.
The game will be played on ABC at 7:30 p.m. ET.
