“Every player is technically a transfer”: Clemson HC Dabo Swinney addresses criticism over going transfer-less in spring window

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has taken an unconventional approach to roster management this offseason by not bringing in any players from the transfer portal. Despite the rising trend of utilizing the portal for quick roster enhancements, Swinney expressed confidence in his current squad, highlighting the talent and stability within the team.

Clemson's strategy instead focused on traditional high school recruiting, bringing in the No. 11 recruiting class in the nation for 2024. This class includes two five-star and 11 four-star recruits, reflecting Swinney's belief in the importance of developing young talent. Speaking on ACC PM, Swinney said:

"Honestly, every player is technically a transfer. We just signed a whole class of guys transferring from high school. So we like our guys. We like our starters."

Swinney explained that the decision to avoid the transfer portal was not entirely intentional, saying:

"There were a couple guys we looked at. They gotta love you, too. That's the other part of it."

The team's high retention rate also factored into this strategy. Out of 127 players who participated in spring training, 125 remained on the roster after the transfer portal window closed.

Swinney said:

"We had 127 players go through spring, and 125 are still on our roster post-portal. So, maybe we should get, like, a trophy. And oh, by the way, we don't have many guys leave without a degree."

He also pointed out Clemson's exceptional academic achievements, with the highest graduation success rate in college football.

"We just had the highest graduation success rate in all of college football. The highest, I believe, in the Power 5 in the last 20 years. And so, to me, that's good," the coach said.

Dabo Swinney defends roster decisions amid transfer portal criticism

Despite Clemson's question mark at the center position, head coach Dabo Swinney remains confident in his current roster, opting not to recruit from the transfer portal. Dabo Swinney felt external options were not superior to what the Tigers already possess. He said:

"The other part of it is, if you go bring somebody in — somebody is going to leave. And we love our guys.

"And if we had a spot where — honestly there was really only one spot on our team that we felt like, because there was not necessarily a gap in age but just experience, and that was at center, and we looked at a couple guys but we really wanted to get through this spring."

Swinney also mentioned the performances of two players to highlight Clemson's strategy of developing internal talent:

"We really love what Ryan Linthicum did. That kid has been there for three years. We really love what we saw out of him, and Harris Sewell, who ended up starting as a freshman for us last year. This kid has his whole career."

Under Dabo Swinney's leadership, Clemson has achieved a 170-43 record, boasting a 79.81% winning percentage, making him the winningest coach in Clemson history. His tenure includes leading the Tigers to national championships in 2016 and 2018.