Paul Finebaum believes Clemson could potentially win national championship under Dabo Swinney

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers had a strong 2024 season, winning the ACC championship and qualifying for the College Football Playoff. While they did not make a national championship run like they have in other recent years, it was still a strong season for the Tigers.

Football analyst Paul Finebaum had high praise for Clemson on "The Paul Finebaum Show" on Saturday.

"By the way, I think Clemson is a legitimate contender for the national championship," Finebaum said.

This is a big change from Finebaum's thoughts on the Tigers at the beginning of the 2024 season. The Tigers opened their season with a 34-3 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. Following the loss, Paul Finebaum talked about how he had lost faith in the Tigers with Swinney at the helm.

"It’s as much about how well Kirby Smart has control of that program as it is to say that Dabo Swinney’s time as an elite coach is over," Finebaum said.

"Clemson is a good program, they’ll compete in the ACC, but their days as a program that matters, their days as a program that is spoken with reverence, are gone. Everyone knows what they’ve done, but they’re not doing it this year, and I don’t see them ever doing it again as long as Dabo Swinney is there."

The Clemson Tigers rebounded from their embarrassing season-opening loss to Georgia. They won their next six games in a row and only lost one more game in the regular season. The Tigers defeated the SMU Mustangs in the ACC championship game as an underdog, qualifying for the College Football Playoff. They lost to Texas in the first round 38-24.

Dabo Swinney is looking ahead to the 2026 recruit class

While Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers have a chance to contend for the national championship next season, they are also focused on the future. Swinney and his staff are in the mix to sign one of the top wide receiver recruits in the 2026 class, Cederian Morgan.

He is a five-star prospect who plays at Benjamin Russell High School in Alexander City, Alabama. The Tigers are reportedly in the mix to sign him as he named them in his top six programs alongside Colorado, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and Florida.