The seismic news out of Happy Valley on Sunday sent shockwaves across the college football landscape, and the aftershocks were felt all the way in Upstate South Carolina. Hours after Penn State announced the stunning mid-season firing of head coach James Franklin, Clemson's Dabo Swinney used his weekly teleconference to offer a poignant and passionate defense of his coaching colleague.
While Swinney's primary focus is always on his Tigers, he didn't shy away from the difficult reality of his profession, expressing a raw and human reaction to the news.
“Yeah, I mean, it's, you know, it's sad to see,” Swinney began, his tone somber.