CLEMSON — Following Clemson’s come-from-behind victory in the Gator Bowl on Dec. 29, head coach Dabo Swinney gave an emotional speech to his team in the locker room.

When I say it was emotional, it was emotional.

As Swinney expressed his gratitude to his players for not giving up and quitting, his eyes filled up with tears and the inflection in his voice changed as he tried to keep back the tears. It was a very genuine moment for the longtime coach who saw his team come together and have one of the greatest finishes to a season in Clemson history.

Sure, it’s easy to remember the national championship runs of 2016 and 2018. Sure, it’s easy to remember the 2015 and ’19 teams for winning playoff games and playing for national championships. Let’s not forget, however, how special Clemson’s five-game win streak to close out this past season is as well.

At 4-4, it would have been very easy for the Tigers to pack it in. Their goal of playing for a national championship was gone the moment they lost to Duke in Week 1. Their chances of defending their ACC Championship were gone in late September following Florida State’s overtime win at Death Valley.

When Clemson suffered back-to-back heartbreaking losses at Miami and NC State, going to a New Year’s Six Bowl was out of the question. With nationally ranked teams such as Notre Dame and North Carolina coming to Death Valley, as well as an improving Georgia Tech squad, some wondered if the Tigers had enough left to finish with a winning season.

“These are the lessons that will carry you through the rest of your life, these are the lessons,” Swinney said to his squad via the school’s social media platforms. “When it does not make sense, you still believe. When everything is against you, you keep going. The wind is in your face, you just keep going into it. You don’t turn around and go the other way.”

And Clemson didn’t.

Instead, the Tigers stayed the course. They knocked off No. 12 Notre Dame when no one thought they had a shot. They embarrassed Georgia Tech before humbling North Carolina.

Clemson then got a remarkable performance from kicker Jonathan Weitz to avenge last year’s loss to South Carolina to complete the regular season with four straight wins.

At 8-4, Clemson earned a Gator Bowl invite. However, key players such as linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr, defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro and cornerback Nate Wiggins decided they were not going to play in the Gator Bowl due to turning professional. There were a few others that transferred—such as starting safety Andrew Mukuba—while some missed the game due to injuries.

Despite having a depleted roster, the team stayed together. And though Kentucky, playing with a full roster, went up 11 points early in the third quarter and appeared to be in control of the game, those players wearing the white jerseys and orange paints did not give up.

Once again, they choose to fight instead of quitting.

They fought through five lead changes in the fourth quarter and some crazy plays. But in the end, Cade Klubnik led them on a historic 12-play, 68-yard drive in the final two minutes. The young quarterback completed all eight of his passes for 71 yards, as he drove the Tigers to the Kentucky goal line.

With 17 seconds left to play, running back Phil Mafah carried the rock over the goal line for the winning score. A couple of plays later, cornerback Shelton Lewis intercepted a pass to seal the 38-35 victory.

The 2023 Clemson Tigers did not win a national championship. They did not win an ACC Championship. However, they did something just as special in my opinion.

In an era when quitting in the face of adversity is easily being accepted in the sports world and in our society, the 2023 Clemson Tigers did not give up.

“These are the lessons that you get from this game, and you hang in there together and you battle together,” Swinney said to his team. “What y’all did this year, men, I’m telling you, it’s special. It really is. I am never going to forget it because at 4-4, y’all had to make a decision.

“You continued to believe. You continued to stay together. You had that windshield mentality and now here we are. I don’t want the moment to end because this right here is special. Very few people get to experience this. This is special.”