Dabo Swinney can claim all he wants that he doesn't hold a grudge against the Notre Dame football team, no one will believe him. He didn't help his case earlier this week when he brought up the Irish when complaining about his Clemson Tigers' recent recruiting struggles. He might have thought he hit a home run, but talk radio host and former ESPN personality Dan Patrick was the first of many who thought Swinney's railing against the Irish rang hollow.
During an appearance on Greg McElroy’s Always College Football podcast, Swinney made some unprompted comments regarding Marcus Freeman's squad while admitting Clemson has a disadvantage with its NIL budget compared to top programs. “We’re 3-1 against Ohio State. We’re 4-2 against Notre Dame. Notre Dame has their own TV station, they make their own rules, they print their own money,” Swinney said. “They got a money machine in the backyard.”
Dan Patrick blasted Dabo Swinney after he dragged Notre Dame football into the conversation
Patrick, hearing those comments, took Swinney to task and came to the Fighting Irish's defense in the process. “If you’re good enough to beat everybody, then what’s the complaint?” Patrick said. “And by the way, guess who had nine players drafted this year? Fourth-most nationally, most in the ACC, and they went 7-6 [in 2025]. So, let’s be fair — you had nine players drafted, and you won seven games. That has nothing to do with Notre Dame or Ohio State.”
"Let's be fair - you had 9 players drafted, and you won 7 games. That has nothing to do with Notre Dame or Ohio State."
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) May 6, 2026
– DP on Dabo Swinney's comments about Notre Dame. pic.twitter.com/hQvft30Kcr
The Tigers have hit some hard times under Swinney, and he's clearly feeling the pressure. Clemson made six consecutive College Football Playoff appearances from 2015-20, but they have made the playoff only once since then, and Patrick called out Swinney himself for his program’s decline in recent years.
“You used to beat [these teams], so what changed?” Patrick continued. “You weren’t embracing the transfer portal to begin with. I don’t know what kind of resources you have, but I can’t blame Notre Dame for doing what Notre Dame is doing or what Texas is doing or USC is doing or Michigan is doing or Ohio State is doing. You’re the one being left behind. We said that with the transfer portal. We said that about NIL. Dabo didn’t want any part of that, and I’m thinking, ‘You are a dinosaur, man.’ And we know what happens with dinosaurs, certainly in the college ranks."
Dan Patrick showed why Dabo Swinney blaming Notre Dame football rang hollow
“It was a strange comment there. … and Dabo has done a wonderful job. It’s just, I don’t know if he’s sending out the message he wants to send. Because you’re telling me you’re beating these great teams, powerhouses, so what’s the problem? You. I’ll start with you. You won seven games. You lost six games. You lost at home to Syracuse. Like, good luck.”
Next season, Swinney will get to try to take his frustrations out on Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame. The two programs entered into a kind of rivalry agreement starting in 2027. It's a safe bet the Fighting Irish will remember and revisit his words from this past week.
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