Clemson football: Why Dabo Swinney shouldn’t go near the Transfer Portal

Why Clemson football shouldn’t go near the NCAA Transfer Portal

The Clemson football program has had a steadfast rule about staying away from the NCAA Transfer Portal and here’s why they should remain committed to that rule even in the ever changing landscape of College Football.

It won’t be long before the one-time transfer rule is in effect for College Football and that will give each student-athlete a free pass to transfer one time without penalty at any point in their career. With the growing number of transfers and the market that’s clearly going to continue to change, it’s easy to see why Clemson might be interested in changing their rule pertaining to transfer.

Over the course of this last week, we’ve given you some reasons that Clemson football should begin to recruit out of the transfer portal. Now, let’s look at the case for why Dabo Swinney shouldn’t go near it.

Clemson football is different from other programs around the nation

Swinney has maintained the position that an offer from Clemson football is something that matters. The Tigers don’t just go off recruiting every single 5-star out there and they take time to build relationships with their recruits.

There’s something to be said about being a ‘lifer’ and you can’t be that if you’re transferring. Swinney wants players who are committed to the program and that philosophy has been a major asset in building the culture of the program.

That being said, the biggest reason to not recruit the transfer portal lies in the sheer math.

There are currently more than 1,000 players in the NCAA Transfer Portal. How many of those guys can be starters at Clemson? How many of those guys can truly make a difference?

Do you really think the player who is transferring from a lower Power-5 school because of playing time issues can start at Clemson? No.

The truth of the matter is that a small percentage- a very small percentage- of transfers actually end up working out. Yes, you have Justin Fields and Trey Sermon. Those are great examples, but for every Fields there are 100 others who never have anything come of their football career.

The same can be said for recruiting, sure, but the difference is that coaches have multiple cycles to evaluate and get to know the kids they’re recruiting from high school. And they still miss. Do you realize how much further the percentage of success goes down if you’re recruiting kids from the transfer portal that you maybe haven’t seen any film on since their junior year of high school and they’ve never fully developed?

We still think that Swinney should be open if the right situation presents itself, but that opportunity doesn’t come around as often as some might believe and there are certainly valid arguments to be made in favor of his position.