Dabo Swinney called out by CFB world for using transfer portal despite stating otherwise

The Clemson Tigers are looking for a quick rebuild after a surprising run to the College Football Playoff this season. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has learned that the best way to accomplish this is to dip into the transfer portal, something that went against the coach's morals in previous years.

On Thursday, Swinney landed his second transfer commitment of the offseason and his first-ever transfer on the defensive side of the ball.

Swinney's sudden change in mindset regarding the transfer portal caused fans to call him out following Thursday's commitment.

"(Dabo Swinney) the hypocrite got no problem paying dudes now I see," one fan pointed out.

"Dabo is 'All-In' on the portal now, amirite," a second fan added.

"Thought they didn't use the portal," a third fan questioned.

Other fans pointed out that Swinney had no choice, given the shifting landscape of college football.

"Dabo had no choice but to enter the portal," one fan commented. "It was a losing battle to fight it."

"Looks like Dabo has opened up to the idea of using the portal," another fan added.

"Dabo finally entered the transfer portal era," a third fan agreed.

Dabo Swinney lands second transfer portal commitment

Former Purdue edge rusher Will Heldt became the second-ever transfer portal commitment for Clemson. Heldt was graded as a four-star transfer prospect, ranked as the No. 60 player in the transfer portal in the No. 9 EDGE, per 247Sports.

In his sophomore campaign, Heldt racked up 56 total tackles, 10 for loss, with 5.0 sacks and a fumble recovery, which he returned for a touchdown. Coming out of high school, Heldt was a three-star recruit and the No. 102 EDGE in the 2023 recruiting cycle.

Heldt joined Tristan Smith in what's shaping up to be a promising transfer class for Swinney's first go-round in the portal. Smith is coming in from Southeast Missouri State and was graded as a three-star transfer and the No. 65 receiver in the portal.

Smith helps the Tigers rebound from the losses of Troy Stellato and Noble Johnson to the transfer portal as Clemson looks to bounce back quickly next season following an unexpected playoff berth and equally unexpected ACC Championship, given their struggles earlier this season.