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Dabo Swinney Named College Football's 3rd Most Hated
12 Jul
Summary
- Dabo Swinney ranks third nationally among most hated college football coaches.
- The ranking combined social media sentiment and a 500-person fan survey.
- Swinney's stance against NIL and the transfer portal contributed to his ranking.

Dabo Swinney, head coach of the Clemson Tigers, has been identified as one of college football's most polarizing figures, ranking third on a recent list of the sport's "most hated" head coaches. This distinction places him behind LSU's Lane Kiffin and Colorado's Deion Sanders.
The methodology behind the ranking involved an equal weighting of social media fan sentiment from platforms like Reddit, X, and Facebook, along with a survey of 500 fans. This approach aimed to gauge national perception rather than local sentiment.
Swinney's placement is attributed to his outspoken opposition to recent changes in college football, specifically Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals and the transfer portal. RotoWire noted that his "anti-transfer-portal, anti-NIL stances land as preachy in a sport that has moved on without him."
Other coaches from the ACC, a conference featuring many polarizing personalities, also appeared on the list. Lane Kiffin secured the top spot, recognized for his long-standing role as college football's "biggest agitator."