With Clemson off to its worst eight-game start in 13 years, things came to a head for Dabo Swinney on his Monday night radio show.

A caller identified only as “Tyler,” who sounded like a teenager or young adult, asked Swinney during Monday’s edition of “Tiger Calls” why he’s paid such a large salary — nearly $11 million per year — if his team is now 4-4. A College Football Playoff contender every season from 2015-20, the Tigers are in danger of falling below the .500 mark when they host No. 12 Notre Dame on Saturday.

“I’ve listened to enough of you, Tyler,” Swinney said, cutting the caller off mid-sentence. “You can have all your opinions that you want. I don’t know how old you are, don’t really care. But let me tell you something, we won 11 games last year.

“You’re part of the problem, because that is part of the problem, Tyler. It’s people like you … the expectation is greater than the appreciation. That’s the problem.”

Swinney went on to cite his track record at Clemson, which is impressive by any measure. He has a record of 165-43 in 16 seasons with the Tigers, including eight ACC championships and national titles after the 2016 and 2018 seasons.

“We’ve (had) 12 10-plus-win seasons in a row,” Swinney said. “That’s happened three times (at Clemson) in 150 years. Clemson ain’t sniffed a national championship in 35 years (before 2015). We’ve won two in seven years. There’s only two other teams that can say that — Georgia and Alabama.

“Is this a bad year? Yeah. It’s my responsibility, take 100 percent responsibility for it. But all this bullcrap you’re thinking, all these narratives you read, listen, you can have your opinion if you want. And you can apply for the job. And good luck to you.”

Swinney, a Pelham native who played at Alabama, continued for nearly five minutes to rip Tyler and other “people like you” who live to trash coaches and their decisions and don’t show what he believes to be the proper appreciation for a winning program having a down year. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant with the Crimson Tide in 1995, eventually rising to be one of the most successful head coaches of his generation.

“To answer your question, I started as the lowest-paid coach in this frickin’ business,” said Swinney, whose team last had a losing season in 2011, when it finished 6-7. “… I’ve worked my ass off every single day. And I’m not gonna let some smart-ass kid get on this phone and create this stuff. If you’ve got a problem with that, I don’t care. I work for the Board of Trustees, the president and the AD. And if they’re tired of me leading this program, all they’ve got to do is let me know. I’ll go somewhere else, where there is an appreciation.”

You can listen to Swinney’s full answer by clicking on the Oct. 30 edition of Tigers Calls HERE. The “Tyler” call begins around the 24-minute mark.