Panthers Coach Dave Canales HEAPS Praise on Dabo Swinney, Hunter Renfrow Sees Striking Similarities

Panthers Coach Dave Canales HEAPS Praise on Dabo Swinney, Hunter Renfrow Sees Striking Similarities originally appeared on Athlon Sports.The intersection of college football royalty and NFL leadership just provided a fascinating glimpse into coaching philosophies.

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales, entering his second season at the helm, expressed profound admiration for Clemson's legendary Dabo Swinney, whose visit to Panthers training camp to see Hunter Renfrow sparked a revealing conversation.Canales didn't hold back his respect for the Clemson patriarch.

"It was awesome.

Im so glad he came to join us our first day of pads, Canales said of Swinney.

I really admire Coach Swinney, just over the years, just watching the programs that hes built, the type of football that they play." Canales, who has "followed his career from afar," seized the rare opportunity to "steal three to five minutes and pick his brain, just on building culture and pushing the guys and all the things that I know hes done so well for so long.But the insights didn't stop there.

Clemson legend Hunter Renfrow, making a remarkable NFL comeback with the Panthers after battling ulcerative colitis, offered a unique perspective on the striking similarities between his two head coaches.Theyre very similar, Renfrow said of Swinney and Canales.

Theyre very optimistic.

They believe in you before you believe in yourself.

They try to speak life into people, speak good into people.Renfrow, whose NFL career included a Pro Bowl season with the Raiders (103 catches, 1,038 yards, 9 TDs in 2021) before his health challenges, emphasized the core values shared by both coaches.

"Theyre both awesome people.

Unbelievable human beings, first, right...

they want the best for the people they do life with.

They love people.

They care about people first, and then football takes cares of itself.

And you want to do well for people like that.This shared, player-first philosophy is clearly resonating with Renfrow, who is impressing at Panthers training camp with spectacular catches, proving he's fully healthy after missing the entire 2024 season.

Swinney even famously talked Renfrow out of retirement, telling him to give football another shot.Canales fully endorses Swinneys long-standing sentiment that the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Renfrow transforms into "Superman" with a helmet on.

Its a special competitive brain that Hunter has, Canales explained, praising his awareness, precise route-running, and consistent "speed of play" regardless of the drill.The mutual admiration between these two successful coaches, combined with Renfrow's personal testament to their impact, paints a powerful picture of a coaching philosophy that transcends levels of football one built on character, belief, and genuine care, yielding success on and off the field.This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 1, 2025, where it first appeared..

This article has been shared from the original article on yahoo, here is the link to the original article.