Clemson coach Dabo Swinney clarifies transfer portal comments at ACC Football Media Days

CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson’s head coach Dabo Swinney have voice his dislike of the transfer portal, NIL and the overall new landscape of college football. Unfortunately, his teams have paid the cost for some of his comments made because they have only won the ACC once, in 2022, since their dominant run from basically 2015-2020. They appeared in six consecutive College Football Playoffs, four CFP championship games, won two CFP championships and six consecutive ACC titles.

Since then, they have yet to even sniff a CFP appearance and have slipped into mediocrity in the college football world. Swinney did make a splash by signing one of the top players in the nation. Incoming freshman linebacker Sammy Brown was ranked as the 14th overall player in the 2024 recruiting class and second overall linebacker in the nation, according to 247 sports.

In May, Swinney said that most guys in the portal “weren’t good enough to play at Clemson.” Now, in July he has backed off of those comments at the ACC Football Media Days in Charlotte, N.C.

Of course, he was asked about his stance and take on college football yet again and he wasn’t so headstrong with his comments this time around.

“I’m just for the guys that we have,” Swinney said on last Thursday during the ACC’s preseason football media days.

He went on to say, “I said earlier today: If I took a job somewhere else, I’d be the greatest portal recruiter ever because half of my roster would be gone and I’d have to put it together. But if you study our team, our retention is as good anybody in the country. Guys graduate, they stay, and we recruit.”

Swinney also clarified that his earlier comments were no shot at other coaches and programs that utilize the portal.

There is nothing wrong with recruiting and developing home grown talent, but when players see you talk down on the new way of college football so much it is hard to sell your program when it comes to recruiting. Also, Clemson is not that dream destination for high school players who want to win and have a real chance at playing on the next level. Good for Swinney to clarify some past comments, but he still have a lot of ground to make up if he wants to get Clemson back to the top of the college football world.

He can start by pulling off a shocker of an upset on Aug. 31 in Atlanta against the nationally number one ranked Georgia Bulldogs. It is also a game where the Bulldogs are a 13.5 point favorite.