Dabo Swinney isn’t ready to run to the NCAA Transfer Portal

The Clemson football program under the leadership of Dabo Swinney has faced numerous criticisms from both Tiger fans and national analysts over the course of the last few weeks.

Clemson, who has made six-straight CFB Playoff appearances, is going to miss the playoff and, unfortunately, the Tigers are also on the outside-looking in for the ACC Atlantic Division race currently.

One of the criticisms that has been brought up about Dabo Swinney is his refusal to take players from the NCAA Transfer Portal. 

During his call-in show on Monday night, Swinney addressed the NCAA Transfer Portal and said that he wouldn’t be “changing just to change,” but that he is constantly evaluating the everchanging landscape of College Football.

"“We’ve always been a developmental program,” Swinney said on his call-in show. “The game has changed this past year for freshmen and sophomores and all that. We’ve had guys here who were backups who wanted to go somewhere and start. Kids that enter the portal — 99 percent of them are in the portal — well for multiple reasons but most of them want to go somewhere to start. There’s nobody in there that we felt like that fit that for us. Again, it’s been a gamechanger (with the one-time transfer change now). I’ve said many times — we’re always going to be a developmental program and evaluate well. I think what we’ve done around here has worked. We might not make it to a seventh Playoff in a row. It might not happen.“But I think who we’ve been and the way we’ve been doing things — I can’t tell you how many times in 13 years I’ve been told that I got to do this and got to do that and got to do this and gotta to do that, and what we’ve done is do it the Clemson way. It’s led us to many playoffs and multiple national championships and we’ve beat the best of the best of the best to do it.”"

Swinney concluded his remarks by saying he’ll “always do what’s best for Clemson.”

"“We have a very, very talented roster. It’s something that I keep my pulse on 24/7. We’re always going to do what we need to compete at the highest level. That’s what we’ve done for a long, long time and we’re going to continue to do that…We’ll always do what’s best for Clemson.”"

Dabo Swinney is going to have to change the way the program operates to keep up

It’s understandable that a lot of Clemson fans don’t want to hear this, but things have changed a lot in the last three seasons since the Tigers last won a National Championship.

Look at Alabama if you want a prime example.

Nick Saban, after getting blown out by Clemson and then missing the playoff the previous year, completely changed his offensive mindset. He has recruited the Transfer Portal and as we look at the Crimson Tide in 2021, they have two transfers– a linebacker and a wide receiver– who are starting for them.

One can say that Clemson doesn’t need the Transfer Portal and Dabo Swinney continues to beat that drum, at least to some extent, but the reality is that this is the way of the future, whether you like it or not.

Fighting with an arm tied behind your back, frankly, isn’t going to work.

Now, don’t misread what’s being said. We’re not advocating for Swinney to bring in six transfers every single year.

All we’re saying is that there are viable options in the Transfer Portal each offseason– and there are going to be more in the future– and if Clemson chooses to do it the way they’ve been doing it, they’re going to fall behind compared to all the other programs across the nation who are bringing in quality talent, many of which are not cast-offs or locker room problems.

There comes a point where the Tigers reach a fork in the road and it seems this 2021 season through this coming offseason could be a defining time period in seeing what level of success this program is going to have in the future.