Even Paul Finebaum Thinks Clemson Can Win It All—Yes, Really
No, this isn't an April Fool's joke, and no, you didn't accidentally click on The Onion. Paul Finebaum—the longtime SEC megaphone and frequent Clemson skeptic—just said something nice about the Tigers.
Not just nice. Complimentary. Borderline glowing.
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'I think Clemson is in the national championship race,' Finebaum said this week on ESPN's McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. For most programs, that wouldn't exactly move the needle. But for Clemson? Coming from Finebaum? That's headline material.
This is the same Paul Finebaum who once questioned whether Dabo Swinney had staying power, mocked Clemson's early NIL philosophy, and all but rolled his eyes at talk of the Tigers as a modern dynasty. So to hear Finebaum include Clemson in his personal shortlist of 2025 title contenders? That's about as close to a public apology as you're going to get.
Paul Finebaum© Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Yes, Clemson has been trending upward since the back half of last season. Yes, the Tigers are coming off another College Football Playoff appearance. Yes, Cade Klubnik has developed into a legitimate Heisman contender, and the defense is absolutely loaded with elite talent like T.J. Parker and Peter Woods anchoring the front.
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But none of that guarantees Paul Finebaum's endorsement.
He's long preferred to keep the national spotlight glued to the SEC—Alabama, Georgia, LSU—while keeping Clemson in the 'let's see if they're for real' category. So this moment? It means something.
Finebaum acknowledging Clemson as a real threat in 2025 is the football version of a solar eclipse: rare, slightly disorienting, and you better soak it in while it lasts.
To be fair, Finebaum isn't wrong. This year's Clemson team is loaded with top-tier talent across the board—possibly more than any Tigers squad since 2018.
Klubnik is no longer a young quarterback with potential—he's now a seasoned leader, entering his third year as a starter with one of the deepest wide receiver rooms in the country. On the other side of the ball, Clemson boasts arguably the best defensive front in America, headlined by future first-rounders Peter Woods and T.J. Parker.
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Throw in Avieon Terrell and Antonio Williams—possibly the top cornerback and receiver in the ACC—and it's no surprise Clemson sits in the top five of nearly every post-spring Top 25.
You know you're doing something right when even your usual critics are buying in. And in the world of college football punditry, there's no tougher sell than Paul Finebaum.
The fact that even he is calling Clemson a contender? That's not just noise. That's validation.
So if you needed a sign that Dabo Swinney's Tigers are back in the big-time national title conversation, forget the stats, the rankings, or the spring buzz.
Just listen to Paul Finebaum.
He thinks Clemson is good. Not just good—good good.
Related: Clemson Cracks Top 10 in NIL-Era College Football Job Rankings by Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman
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