Ask Dabo Swinney about his faith, and he will not be afraid to share it.
That may have been the biggest takeaway from the Clemson head coach’s press conference at the ACC’s Kickoff media event. Swinney may be one of the Tigers’ most productive leaders in school football history, having captured multiple national championships and racked up more than 100 all-time wins. But most of his passion addressing reporters this week stemmed from a question about his tendency to point to God after even the biggest college football accomplishments.
“That’s the easiest question I’ve had all day,” Swinney said. “To me, that’s just the priorities of my life.”
The four-time ACC champion said he “didn’t really have a relationship with Christ until” he was 16. But since that “game-changer,” faith has “become the foundation” of his life.
“It’s hard to survive and thrive in this world if you don’t have a spiritual foundation,” he continued. “For me, God has always, in my relationship with Christ, has given me hope and peace … If there’s hope in the future, there’s power in the present to deal with whatever mess you’re dealing with in your life, [and] what Christ did for me, it gave me a hope and a belief beyond my circumstances.”
Rarely one to shy away from his beliefs, Swinney went on to answer the reporter’s original question about his accomplishments in light of his faith, suggesting his greatest feats have had little to do with football. After saying “the greatest accomplishment for me is to see my three sons come to Christ,” he emphasized why he continues to live his life centered on Jesus.
“Hopefully [my life’s] going to be pleasing to my Maker,” he said, “because I know I’m going to meet Him one day, and He’s not going to pat me on the back talking about how many wins I had, how many Coach of the Year trophies we got or how much money I made.”
North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
The results on the court have been up and down for Hubert Davis in his five years as the head coach at North Carolina. What’s remained consistent, however, is his faith in Jesus and willingness to be bold in sharing it.
After serving as an assistant coach for Roy Williams from 2012-2021, Davis was elevated to head coach ahead of the 2021-22 season. From the start, he said he viewed his job as more than just coaching basketball.
“I’ve said this a number of times, that I’ve been put, placed, purposed and planned to be in this position at such a time as this,” Davis said on “The Drive with Will Dalton” ahead of this season. “I’m on assignment. It is missionary work. It’s an act of service … it’s a position of great honor, and I love being in [it].”
That perspective hasn’t changed, even as the results and the sport itself have.
On the court, his team’s next task is a first-round matchup in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday against a No. 11-seeded VCU team that just won the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament. The No. 6-seeded Tar Heels enter the tournament looking to right the ship following a 15-point loss to rival Duke in the regular-season finale and a one-point loss to Clemson in their first game of the ACC Tournament.
After a first-round loss last year, UNC is looking to rekindle some of the magic that led to a run to the 2022 championship game in Davis’ first season at the helm. They’ll have to do so without star forward and projected NBA Draft lottery pick Caleb Wilson, who led the team in scoring (19.8 points per game), rebounds (9.4), steals (1.5) and blocks (1.4) before undergoing season-ending thumb surgery in early March.
UNC missed the NCAA Tournament the year after the runner-up finish, but returned as a No. 1 seed in 2024. That season ended with a Sweet 16 loss, however, to No. 4-seeded Alabama.
The topsy-turvy nature of UNC’s results have coincided with significant changes in the college game, most notably the transfer portal and NIL (name, image and likeness) rules that allow for players to make upwards of six or seven figures in some cases. That has resulted in heavy roster turnover, including losses of key Tar Heels like Caleb Love and Elliott Cadeau.
While some coaches have stepped away amid the changing landscape, Davis has embraced the challenge.
“Obviously there’s differences, but I think it’s been really exciting to maneuver through the differences in college athletics,” Davis told Dalton. “But again, with all the changes, my mission and my assignment haven’t changed at all. It’s to be in these kids’ lives and be able to serve them and give back to them.
“Regardless of how many changes happen, my assignment has stayed the same. I love this assignment. I enjoy it. As I’ve said before, it’s a privilege to be in this position, having a front-row seat to be able to do it on a daily basis.”
That sense of purpose is rooted in Davis’ own story.
Before his coaching career — and even before his 12-year NBA journey — Davis was a player at North Carolina under legendary coach Dean Smith from 1988-1992. It was during that time that his faith in Christ took shape.
In 1990, just before his junior year, Davis attended a service at Chapel Hill Bible Church while searching for answers following the death of his mother two years earlier.
“During that time, I was really struggling,” Davis said on Dalton’s show. “I was going to a number of churches, and the reason being I was looking for answers. I was looking for answers in regards to why my best friend, my mom, passed away two years earlier of cancer. That’s the only reason I was going to church.”
After that church service, a man named Mike Echstenkamper — who was working with Athletes In Action on the UNC campus — approached him.
“He introduced himself and I broke down crying,” Davis told Dalton. “I met him on campus the next day, and that was the day I accepted Christ into my life.
“I was going to church looking for answers, and obviously I never found that answer. But I did find out and was able to see the things that my mom told me — how much Jesus loved me and the plan and purpose that He had for me.”
“When I’m asked a question, the only thing I know how to do is to be myself,” he told Dalton. “My personality is my personality and this is what you get for 55 years. I’m very secure and confident in my own skin and I feel very passionate about the things that I love and care about.”
UNC and VCU tip off at 6:50 p.m. ET Thursday on TNT.
Malik Willis warms up for the Packers before a game, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Day 1 of the NFL free-agent frenzy is in the books, and one of the more intriguing storylines is the Miami Dolphins’ signing of quarterback Malik Willis. The 26-year-old former third-round pick agreed to contract terms with the Dolphins on Monday, just hours after the team released former QB Tua Tagovailoa.
According to ESPN, Willis’ deal is worth $67.5 million over three years, with $45 million fully guaranteed.
Willis continued later, “I’m just trying to take advantage of every opportunity I can get. … I’m just trying to go [to Miami] and do what I can to help them do some special things. And that’s taking it one day at a time, putting the work in and seeing where the chips fall.”
Much love and respect to packer nation supporting us and me the past 2 years! It has been awesome upholding the standard for the green and gold 🧀. It has been more than a blessing and i will never forget my time here and the relationships I made! Fins Up 🐬 Matthew 6:33-34 But… pic.twitter.com/iybRtdRKCE
Willis was selected 86th overall by the Titans out of Liberty University in 2022 but struggled to adjust to the NFL, appearing in 11 games over two seasons (starting three games). He threw three interceptions with no touchdowns in 66 total attempts over that span, but did run for a score as a rookie.
Tennessee traded the 6-foot-1, 225-pounder to Green Bay just before the start of the 2024 season, and in the green and gold, Willis revived his career.
While still a backup and appearing in only 11 games over the past two seasons, Willis threw six touchdowns without an interception and completed 78.7% of his passes for 972 yards. He also rushed for three TDs on 42 attempts. In 2024, Willis started two games in place of QB1 Jordan Love and was impressive in leading the Packers to two wins. Willis relieved Love again in a game later that season and engineered a game-winning drive. Willis continued to impress in limited time last year (four games, one start), setting himself up for the big payday he just received with the Dolphins.
At the end of last season, Willis expressed gratitude to God in an Instagram post, and he again included the Bible passage Matthew 6:33-34.
It appears Willis may get another opportunity to be a full-time starter in Miami in 2026. Expectations are certainly high for him, but it’s nothing he hasn’t experienced before. He received similar praise entering his senior year at Liberty in 2021, and he sought to stay humble at that time by rooting himself in the Lord.
“I choose to always give the glory to Him,” Willis said in the Fall 2021 edition of Sports Spectrum Magazine. “People say I’m humble, but I don’t really know if it’s humble. It’s just very, very obedient, knowing that it’s not me at all. … You’re using the abilities that God gives you and go out there and glorify His name and try to spread the Gospel.”
Willis has been seen praying on the field on numerous occasions, and he often wears eye black in the shape of a cross during games. Many of his posts on Instagram and X reference his faith as well.
“No matter how long we live, we will never know what God has going on for our lives, so we’ve just got to lean on Him — ask for wisdom and the strength to get through it,” Willis told Sports Spectrum. “That’s what I ask for the most: wisdom and strength to get through it.
“Wisdom to try to not fully understand because we’ll never fully understand what He has for us, but just understand what I need to be doing at the moment, what I need to be doing to prepare myself. And the strength to get through it mentally and physically.”
Trusting fully in God’s good plan for his life, Willis may make a much-anticipated return to Green Bay’s famed Lambeau Field this fall. Times and dates are not yet available for the 2026 NFL schedule, but the Dolphins are slated to play a road game against the Packers.
Arkansas QB Taylen Green runs the 40-yard dash, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Records continued to fall on Saturday as quarterback Taylen Green made his way through the drills at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. The former Arkansas Razorback, who measured in at 6-foot-5⅞ and 227 pounds, set quarterback records in the 40-yard dash, the vertical jump and the broad jump.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. listed Green as the No. 8 quarterback prospect in his latest position rankings released on Feb. 23, but that may change after Saturday’s performance.
The long-strided 23-year-old blistered his way to a 4.36-second 40-yard dash, the first quarterback to run under 4.4 seconds in the drill since at least 2003. Robert Griffin III set the previous record (4.41) in 2012.
Green’s explosiveness was also on display in his jumps, recording a 43.5-inch vertical and an 11-foot-2 broad jump, both combine records for quarterbacks since at least 2003. Current Indianapolis Colt Anthony Richardson Sr. set both records (40.5-inch vertical, 10-foot-9 broad jump) in 2023.
.@RazorbackFB QB Taylen Green just shattered the QB vertical jump record.
On Green’s left wrist as he competed was a red bracelet with the words “He Must Increase” and “John 3:30,” a Bible verse that says, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (ESV).
After his record-setting day wrapped up, Green was interviewed on the field by NFL Network and was asked a question about his fiancée, Analisse Batista, a track and field athlete at Arkansas. The interviewer described her as the most important person in Green’s life, but he responded with a slight correction.
“First, the most important Person in my life is Jesus Christ,” Green said with a smile, then listed his parents as second. “… [Batista is] gonna be second once we get the ring on.”
He went on to explain that she was competing that day as well, at the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships, and he was eager to get off the field to watch her. And as it turns out, she may have had an even better day than him; she set a personal best on the way to a victory in the 800-meter final, and she was part of the Razorback quartet that won the 4×400-meter relay.
Green and Batista got to know each other as student-athletes at Arkansas, where Green quarterbacked the Razorbacks in 2024 and 2025 after transferring from Boise State. He led Arkansas to a Liberty Bowl victory against Texas Tech in December 2024. Arkansas struggled to a 2-10 campaign in 2025, but the Lewisville, Texas, native threw for 2,714 yards and a career-best 19 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. He also ran for a career-high 777 yards and eight touchdowns.
In January, Green was invited to the Senior Bowl, where he completed two of his four passes. He also sat down with Sports Spectrum at the event to talk about faithfully handling the disappointments of a 2-10 season, as well as the benefits of prayer.
“That’s really a big thing,” he said, “just giving it to God. Any worries, anxieties, things that I’m going through.”
Green appeared as a guest on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in August 2024, during the lead-up to his first season with Arkansas.
“[Jesus is] everything to me,” Green said to begin the conversation. “I start my day with Him and end my day with Him. I’m just blessed to have a family that taught me to always keep Him first when I was just even a little kid.”
He explained that his father held him accountable for his prayer life, and his sister influenced him to spend more time studying God’s Word. It was in college that God drew Green into a deeper relationship with Himself.
“Without Jesus, I’m nothing,” he said on the podcast. “Without His love and His care and His guidance just going through my whole life — the ups and downs that I’ve been through — He’s the only Truth and the Way to help me through.”
Green and hundreds of other NFL hopefuls are working hard to position themselves for the 2026 NFL Draft, which will take place in Pittsburgh from April 23-25.
