Dabo Swinney had the chance to coach his godson in college at Clemson.
In Dec. 2020, Tanner Tessman committed to play both football and soccer for the Tigers.
But things changed quickly. FC Dallas needed to call Tessman up to its senior team in MLS, and he got into 28 games over two seasons while opting not to enroll at Clemson.
From there, Tessman moved to Venezia in Italy.
And these days, Tessman is popping goals in for Lyon in France.
Tessman has also suited up for the United States national team.
The 6-foot-2 midfielder, originally from Birmingham, Alabama, played 89 matches for Venezia from 2021-24. He scored nine goals in Italy.
He has played 30 matches for Lyon and scored a pair of goals. That includes an absolute rocket blast during Europa League competition on Thursday.
Check out this strike from Tessman:
Tanner Tessman scores his first UEL goal in style 🇺🇸😮💨
(via @CBSSportsGolazo)pic.twitter.com/ox0AJaPqIx
— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 25, 2025
Tessman has received eight appearances for the USMNT so far.
He would’ve been a kicker for Swinney and the Tigers if he had gone to school, but he chose a different path.
And right now, it seems to be working out just fine for Tessman.
