ESPN's Paul Finebaum, Mike Greenberg Sing Praises of Dabo Swinney's Loyalty

Last week at Clemson Tigers media day, head coach Dabo Swinney explained why he didn't think the external noise would negatively affect quarterback Cade Klubnik, who is getting talked about as a possible No. 1 overall pick.

It's a different kind of noise, but he's seen Klubnik shut out the distractions before.

"I mean, last year at this time they said he's terrible," Swinney said last week at Clemson's media day. "So, he had to block that out. It's the same thing. Of course I see him as one of those guys (can block out the noise), because he had to do the same thing last year."

Klubnik rewarded Swinney's faith in him with a 36-touchdown season, an ACC Championship, and a spot in the College Football Playoff.

At ACC Media Days this week, Klubnik acknowledged how much Swinney's encouragement helped him through tough times.

"For somebody that I look up to and believe in tell me that, that he believes in me, just filled me with confidence," said Klubnik. "When he could have gone and done what a lot of other coaches would do, but didn't and pulled me in tight and said I believe in you, I'll never forget that moment. That conversation has fueled me for the last two years."

Klubnik's comments became a topic of discussion between two of Swinney's bigger critics, ESPN's Mike Greenberg and Paul Finebaum. Both were impressed with the loyalty shown by both player and coach in a time when there isn't much from either in all sports, not just college.

"In a world of college football now, where there is almost no allegiance, it's not rewarded in any way from coaches towards players or players toward coaches," said Greenberg on ESPN. "And look, Dabo Swinney and I have not always seen eye to eye on a lot of things, and there's been reason for criticism of him in the past, I believe, but this really jumped off the page at me. I thought this was a really important statement that his quarterback made."

Finebaum agreed and heaped praise on Swinney for staying the course by not panicking and jumping into the portal.

"I think it was amazing," Finebaum bluntly stated. "I don't think I need to remind you how many times I've been here saying 'Dabo's Dynasty is done.' But what Dabo Swinney has done is he has transformed with where we are in college football.

"At his core, he is a player's coach. Players love him, and that moment we heard yesterday in Charlotte was significant. And it may be the fuel that helps Clemson come back from where they have been to possibly playing for a national championship.

"And that's the reason; the coach, and the player relationship, and Dabo has it with many others as well."

To be fair, a lot of teams would like to be in a position where a nine-win season has national media pundits shoveling dirt on their graves. But 9-4 isn't the same as playing in four out of five national championship games like Clemson did from 2015-2019.

Clemson had the highest player retention in the country last year, remarkable in the NIL, transfer portal era, and Dabo Swinney's character, and that of those he brings into the Tigers' program is a big reason why.