Dabo Swinney scolded a reporter who questioned his methods as he continues to take heat following Clemson’s embarrassing 51-10 season-opening loss to LSU on Saturday night.The Tigers have been blasted for their dismal display in Baton Rouge and some of the criticism has come directly from frustrated former players.Former defensive end Xavier Thomas posted on social media, ‘first time our preseason ranking has been right .. in a long time.’ Former tight end Jordan Leggett said, ‘Softest Clemson O-line and D-Line play I have ever witnessed’ and former defensive tackle DJ Reader weighed in, writing, ‘Yeah as a alum this was sad to watch.’Clemson was outgained by LSU by nearly 500 yards and the game was never close, resulting in the most lopsided loss in the Swinney era. He said Tuesday he doesn’t pay much attention to the outside noise but acknowledged: ‘You play like that, you deserve to be criticized.’When asked directly if he has any regrets about how he approached the team’s roster building this offseason, Swinney said: ‘No I don’t. I regret being 0-1 right now. I regret that.’ Dabo Swinney scolded a reporter who questioned his methods after Clemson’s loss to LSU The Tigers have been blasted for their dismal display in Baton Rouge on Saturday nightSwinney went on to criticize the reporter’s question, calling it premature.’Can you ask that at the end of the season?’ Swinney continued. ‘The season ain’t over. We’ve had one game and we have 11 more. ‘What if we go 11-1? Promise me you will ask me that then (and) I will answer that. But I’m not answering questions like that.’Clemson’s loss, coupled with a hugely disappointing 2025 campaign in which the Tigers began the season ranked No. 4 in the country only to finish seventh in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings and 7-6 overall, has raised questions about Swinney’s long-term future.Swinney is in his 19th season as head coach and boasts a 187-54 record that includes two national championships and nine ACC titles. But the recent drop-off in the name, image and likeness and transfer portal era has been pronounced, and some believe the end of Swinney’s tenure in Clemson may be near.ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum said if he were Clemson’s athletic director, he would fire Swinney, adding that ‘on the national stage, (Clemson’s) time is up.’Clemson reportedly would owe Swinney $57 million if it were to terminate his contract.Swinney has been widely criticized for his reluctance to dive deeply into the transfer portal in a time when other top programs, like LSU, appear to be all in. LSU brought in 48 transfers this offseason, compared to Clemson’s 15. The loss to Lane Kiffin’s LSU Tigers showed just how far Clemson have fallen from the elite Clemson reportedly would owe Swinney $57 million if it were to terminate his contract The questions surrounding Swinney aren’t likely to go away unless the Tigers find a way to win games.’It’s very sad to see one of the greatest college coaches, Dabo Swinney, get pushed out the game financially,’ former LSU defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko wrote on X. ‘When you think about all the coaches NIL/portal forced out of college football, it´s sad. You either retire a hero or coach long enough to become the villain.’Swinney wouldn’t disclose his plan at quarterback for Saturday night’s home opener against Georgia Southern.Christopher Vizzina struggled against LSU, but so did freshman Tait Reynolds. Vizzina graded out better than Reynolds, according to Swinney, but said it wasn’t by much.Swinney added that the playing time at QB moving forward ‘will work itself out.’