Clemson coach Dabo Swinney gained a lot of respect across the country for his team’s performance in its 45-40 loss to Alabama in Monday’s national championship game.

Did he prove himself to be a worthy candidate to fill in the humungous shoes of Nick Saban? CBS Sports college football columnist Dennis Dodd thinks so.

Dodd is on record saying that Monday was “an audition” for Swinney to eventually replace the legend in Tuscaloosa.

After all, Swinney does have ties to the university, having been a receiver there from 1990-92. He then served as a graduate assistant with the school from 1993-95 before coaching receivers and tight ends from 1996-2000.

Coincidentally, he moved on to a program that’s been open in its attempts to emulate Alabama’s.

“If you had to pick a guy right now,” Dodd said, “it’d be him.”