Could Dabo Swinney to LSU be a real thing? Paul Finebaum weighs in

Rumors have been swirling of who LSU could target to become its next head coach. With the recent announcement of LSU and current head coach Ed Orgeron parting ways at the end of the season, the Tigers coaching search is already underway.

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum has now added Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney to the list of possible targets for LSU.

“It’s so hard, and let me be perfectly blunt here: I have no inside information here,” Finebaum said. “I wish I did, but I don’t think anybody does right now. I say that meaning that everything we say is a guess. I thought it was interesting that Dabo Swinney’s name keeps popping up. … Yeah, a couple of weeks ago that didn’t seem realistic. You wonder if it seems more realistic today. I still think the Mel Tucker story has legs, but I suspect Scott Woodward knows exactly where he’s going, whether it’s one or two people depending on circumstances. But he’s done a really good job of keeping it in-house.”

Swinney could be one of a few prominent targets for LSU

At this point, names are going to continue to surface until LSU makes a hire. Swinney to LSU might seem like a little bit of an odd fit, especially given the state of Clemson this season. The Tigers are 4-3 and have struggled tremendously this year.

“I completely agree (that LSU and Dabo Swinney sounds odd),” Finebaum said. “But you have to wonder, Greg, and you know Dabo, at this point he probably wouldn’t mind some distraction from how inept his team is right now.”

Swinney took over as Clemson’s head coach in 2008. Clemson has made a bowl game in every year under Swinney. The Tigers won a national championship in 2016 and 2018, and lost in the title game in 2015 and 2019.

Swinney joins the likes of James Franklin, Mel Tucker, Lane Kiffin, and Jimbo Fisher as names that have been linked to LSU.

Last week, Swinney denied having any interest in the LSU coaching job. Swinney said that he is only focuses on Clemson right now.

“This is the only Death Valley that I’m concerned with right here,” Swinney said.