Clemson Football Week 4 Overreaction: FSU game was a referendum on Dabo Swinney’s portal policy

I normally don’t write about the overreactions to a Clemson game until Tuesday or Wednesday after the game, but this overreaction came quickly (as I thought it might, see last paragraph of this article), so it made sense to expedite this themed article.

Clemson lost in overtime to Florida State after controlling most of the game. Emotions ran high after the game because a victory seemed to be in the Tigers’ grasp, but it slipped away, and most hopes for a berth in the ACC championship game slipped away with it.

Before the game, criticism of head coach Dabo Swinney had already begun. Many Clemson fans have been frustrated that Swinney has been slow to embrace the transfer portal. The loss to Florida State enflamed that opinion.

Part of the reason it was enflamed was because the Seminoles feature multiple transfers, such as former South Carolina player Jaheim Bell, former Virginia player Fentrell Cypress, and former Western Michigan defensive tackle Braden Fiske.

The transfer that stood out the most on Saturday was former Michigan State wide receiver Keon Bell, who caught the game-winning touchdown pass in overtime.

Wide receiver is a position many hoped Clemson would address via the portal, but they didn’t for a handful of reasons. Some of them were logistical, others were judgement calls.

To revisit another past article briefly, I have already addressed that Swinney isn’t opposed to the portal. He is opposed to tampering and using NIL as an enticement to commit to Clemson, for both high school players and transfers.

Sure, any team in America would be better with an elite receiver. They would be better with elite quarterbacks, defensive ends and cornerbacks too. Yes, even an elite kicker. If Clemson isn’t willing to tamper or entice with NIL, none of those elite transfer players are coming to Clemson.

It’s becoming frustrating to see people say “Swinney needs to adapt to the portal” instead of having the guts to say “Swinney needs to adapt to tampering and NIL enticements”. At some point, we are just going to need to call some Clemson fans out for being gutless. If you legitimately want Clemson to engage in those activities, then have the courage of your convictions and say what you mean. Otherwise sit down.

Returning to how this game impacts this discussion, I think several people decided before this game that they were going to make this a referendum on Swinney and his policies. If Clemson didn’t win, then Swinney’s refusal to take a transfer wide receiver was the reason Clemson lost this game.

In other words, since Coleman was better than any of our receivers, then a transfer wide receiver would have made the difference for Clemson.

A transfer wide receiver wouldn’t have picked up the blitzer that thrashed Klubnik and forced the fumble that was returned for a touchdown.

A transfer wide receiver wouldn’t have made the 30-yard field goal.

A transfer wide receiver wouldn’t have called a rush instead of an RPO in overtime.

A transfer wide receiver wouldn’t have decided to throw the ball to the sideline on that RPO.

Wide receivers weren’t the problem for Clemson Football on Saturday

Could a transfer wide receiver of the caliber that Clemson could have actually landed from the portal have theoretically helped in this game today? Maybe, but that is speculative.

In this game, the Clemson wide receivers weren’t the problem. Honestly, considering they were without a starter because Antonio Williams was injured, they’ve lost Cole Turner for the season and the emerging Tyler Brown got hurt, I think the wide receivers played well.

I think emotions have been running high, and people decided this was the chance to give Swinney a hard time about his portal policy, but the logic of using this game to further that criticism just doesn’t add up.