Dabo Swinney offered hope for Clemson fans after disappointing College Football Playoff loss to Texas Longhorns
Losing is never fun. And Dabo Swinney made one thing clear after Clemson's College Football Playoff loss to Texas on Saturday. He and his Clemson Tigers "want to get back to the top of the mountain." And the good news? They're in great position to run it back to the 2025 College Football Playoffs. Dabo […]
Losing is never fun. And Dabo Swinney made one thing clear after Clemson's College Football Playoff loss to Texas on Saturday. He and his Clemson Tigers "want to get back to the top of the mountain." And the good news? They're in great position to run it back to the 2025 College Football Playoffs.
Dabo spent plenty of time after the game reflecting on the season, and the special group of departing seniors he would miss dearly, but he was so pleased with the leadership of his guys and the bright future ahead for Clemson.
"Most of our team is back. You know. You saw the heart of our quarterback. How about that guy? Just incredible, incredible leadership. And what I just experienced in our locker room–I wish everybody could experience what I just experienced in our locker room. It's the leadership of our guys. How much they love each other…We'll build on this…We want to get back to the top of the mountain."
Swinney didn't confirm that Cade Klubnik would be returning, but it sure seems like he was excited about the future of Clemson football and the leadership in the locker room he already has there, especially from his quarterback. Dabo shared that Klubnik told his Clemson teammates this season was the most fun he had ever had playing football in the locker room after the game and Klubnik was clearly a bit emotional during his time with the media.
Klubnik was asked directly about whether he would be returning but he didn't want to make the night about him:
"I'm just trying to deal with the emotions of tonight. I just played my last football game with a lot of these guys so I'm not really thinking about me right now. I'm just trying to think about all the relationships that I've built over the last three years."
The future of this Clemson team doesn't just rest on the shoulders of Cade Klubnik though. They bring back the core their defensive front with both T.J. Parker and Peter Woods. Avieon Terrell, Kylon Griffin, and Khalil Barnes in the defensive secondary. They'll return several young key offensive playmakers like Bryant Wesco, T.J. Moore and a young developing running back room.
If Klubnik does return on top of all that too? Clemson is going to be dangerous once again as the heavy ACC Championship favorite. Klubnik finishes 2024 with over 3600 passing yards, 36 touchdowns to just five interceptions, and nearly 500 rushing yards. Hopefully the Tigers' leader decides he has some unfinished business and returns for one more year.
We'll be back with more Clemson coverage here at A to Z Sports all year long! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
If you want to get excited about what could be for Clemson next season just check out some of the Cade Klubnik highlights from midseason in the video below. Enjoy!
