Dabo Swinney addresses his ‘anti-portal’ stance

Sep 5, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney questions the side judge after a replay during the first quarter of the Chick-fil-A kickoff game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Is Clemson coach Dabo Swinney anti-transfer portal? Many feel that he is, but he does not feel that tag is an accurate one.

At ACC Media Days on Thursday, Swinney addressed that perception and argued that it was not the case. He claimed that Clemson simply does not need to use the transfer portal as frequently because they are good enough at developing their own recruits.

“I’m not anti-portal, I’m pro the young men, talented young men, that I believe in on our team that believe in me, that believe in Clemson,” Swinney said, via Kaiden Smith of On3. “If you look at the guys that have left Clemson, the great majority of them, they just want to go play and that’s the majority of guys that are in the portal. They’re guys that want to play.

“We’ve had 14 top-15 recruiting classes in a row, so we’re very consistent. We sign the great players, this year we think we’ve got one of the best classes in the country and that’ll probably prove out. It always shows up four years later when it really counts, but we love the kids on our team, we believe in them.”

Swinney is adamantly sticking to a long-term player development approach in a sport that is increasingly in search of short-term success. There is nothing wrong with that, but Clemson’s on-field results have indisputably slipped in recent years. In 2023, the Tigers lost four games for the first time since 2011. Criticism grew regarding Swinney’s perceived refusal to use the portal to bolster his team.

Swinney has previously suggested that the bulk of the players in the portal simply are not good enough to play for Clemson. Perhaps that is true, but it is tough to look at the team’s results over the last few years and consider them good enough relative to the lofty standards Swinney has set for the program.