CLEMSON – Don Munson, the radio voice of Clemson athletics, could tell that Dabo Swinney was about to go on a roll, so he didn’t dare interrupt when “Tyler from Spartanburg” was cut off by Swinney during his weekly call-in radio show Monday night.

Tyler had just offered a 2½-minute diatribe challenging Swinney, what he stands for and what he perceives as a major discrepancy between Swinney’s salary and the Tigers’ current 4-4 record.

One might have thought Tyler was actually Paul Finebaum.

The fallout from that call and Swinney’s “scorched earth” response to Tyler’s critique remained the primary topic of conversation when Swinney met with the media for a season-long 62-minute news conference ahead of Saturday’s game against No. 12 Notre Dame.

Swinney is one of only a handful of coaches who actually participate in a live call-in show, and for that he should be applauded. Swinney’s not exempt from criticism, but that hasn’t prevented him from bristling on multiple occasions during this season gone awry.

Clemson was projected to win the ACC Championship in the league’s preseason poll and was ranked No. 9 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll. But as the 2023 season hits its home stretch, the Tigers have no shot at another ACC title and haven’t sniffed the Top 25 poll in weeks.

In the eyes of most Clemson fans, it has been a disastrous season not witnessed around Tigertown since, well, the 6-7 season of 2010, and Monday’s call-in meltdown from Dabo was simply the latest evidence of what an unmitigated failure this season has become.

'Twas "Ranting Dabo," coming full throttle.

By the same token, Swinney may deserve a pass. He has admittedly built up a considerable amount of equity over the past dozen or so years what with two national championships, four title-game trips and six consecutive berths in the College Football Playoff.

Such achievements were unthinkable when Swinney took the reins to the program midway through the 2008 season, so it’s difficult to rationalize the abundance of negativity now surrounding the program.

Still, Swinney is disingenuous when he contends that the Tigers are “a few plays away” from being undefeated, or that “without fumbles” his team would be 8-0.

Neither claim is accurate.

“We’re having a bad year,” Swinney said. “That’s my responsibility. Ain’t nobody happy about it.”

DABO LASHES BACK: Dabo Swinney goes on rant in response to caller on Clemson football radio show

Swinney has essentially become a victim of his own success. Expectations surrounding the program have risen to such a level that anything short of perfection is a source of consternation.

A team flirting with a sub-.500 season is prompting calls for a major overhaul, and such alterations may be forthcoming at season’s end.

In the meantime, the ever-optimistic Swinney is convinced that the setbacks of this season will only strengthen his resolve as well as the team’s.

“The struggle brings out the best in some, brings out the worst in others,” Swinney said. “I have the opportunity to be able to teach like I haven’t been able to teach in a long time. I’m thankful for the struggle.”

If such is the case, Swinney has plenty for which to be thankful this season.

Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ScottKeepfer

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Unpacking Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney's radio show rant