Clemson football coach/sworn enemy of Tyler from Spartanburg Dabo Swinney doesn’t sound like he’s a big fan of the transfer portal.
While appearing on Sirius XM’s college sports channel, Swinney made a pretty bold claim about why Clemson isn’t being active in the transfer portal to acquire new talent.
According to him, it’s because “most of the guys in the portal aren’t good enough to play for us.”
You do not need for us to spell out the inherent arrogance of this position in today’s college football climate, one that thrives on the renewal of talent in the transfer portal to stay relevant as a perennial contender.
You also don’t need us to point out that Clemson went 9-4 last season and wasn’t a serious threat in the College Football Playoff. Maybe some additional transfer portal talent would’ve helped?
Clemson’s Dabo Swinney on @SXMCollege about quality of players in Transfer Portal. “I mean, it’s really pretty simple,” Swinney said. “Most of the guys in the portal aren’t good enough to play for us. That’s just the reality of it”
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) May 16, 2024
In all seriousness, Swinney is going to have to be careful with taking such a retrogressive approach to the transfer portal. The bandwagon might lighten even more if Clemson can’t add enticing talent.
If the Tigers don’t reassert themselves as meaningful playoff contenders this fall, embracing the transfer portal talent might be a qualifier for him keeping his job.
