Clemson is a special place and we hear about that all the time. From former players gushing over the family atmosphere to the current players talking about why there's so little roster turnover, it's clear that Dabo Swinney has built something special down in South Carolina.
While his "little old Clemson" quote still makes me laugh because it has never been that but rather a sleeping giant before he took over and woke it up, Dabo has been carefully constructing the perfect culture at Clemson that gets players to buy in every year en route to a (likely) 10-plus win season.
Clemson won 10 games again in 2024 and it came as a shock to plenty after the Tigers broke a 12-year streak of 10-plus wins after Cade Klubnik and Co. fell drastically short of expectations.
Following that season, people began to question if Klubnik was really the answer at quarterback. Sure, he had over 2,800 yards and 19 passing touchdowns in his first year as the starter, but for a former five-star quarterback, much more was expected of him. He couldn't get away with a 19-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio again.
Fortunately, he got the spark he needed heading into his junior year and he had his best season yet, throwing for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns with just six picks. He also ran for 463 yards and seven more touchdowns, proving he wasn't just a pocket passer.
What caused this bounce-back? Klubnik spoke at ACC Media Days on Thursday about how Dabo picked him up and encouraged him when everyone else told him that he was no good.
Why is Clemson a special place? This is why... pic.twitter.com/7RN4pkv2dN
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) July 24, 2025
Obviously people telling him he wasn't good was just an overreaction to a disappointing season, but that still weighs heavily on a young college player's mind. He was hearing the worst of it from some fans and instead of letting it get to him, he went to Dabo and the legendary head coach picked him up. Dabo told him he believed in him and to get to work and that's exactly what he did.
So when people ask why Clemson is such a special place, all you have to do is point them to this video. It would have been easy for Dabo to dump Klubnik for the backup with potential, but he stuck with his guy, encouraged him, backed him, and watched him flourish.
Now that Cade has his confidence back, watch out.