Dabo Swinney's Transfer Portal Habits Coming Under Fire

Has the Clemson headman adjusted enough to the current age of college football?

Whenever a result like Duke's win over Clemson happens, there's a rush to put significance and meaning behind the loss. Especially in an upset setting with a big-time program that's had success on a national level. You're seeing it happen this week with Alabama after losing to Texas at home. "Is Nick Saban too old?" "Can he not find the right support staff anymore?" "Has the program lost its way?"

Dabo Swinney is hearing a lot of the same criticism. These "dynasty-sleuths", that look for any angle that a national title contender is about to fall, won't stop sniffing around because of a win over Charleston Southern or even Florida Atlantic this weekend. The biggest critique so far is how Clemson has handled, or rather not handled the Transfer Portal.

Clemson Athletics

J.D. Pickell of On3Sports spoke about this issue while hosting his show The Hard Count following the Duke loss, "You're hearing a lot of this this morning, you're hearing a lot of "Well that's what Dabo gets for not going to the portal. Hey, the game caught up with him he did not evolve and he's gotta use the portal. That's why they lost last night."

The host followed the imitation of the general public with this, "A sentiment I think in that is true. Not that they lost last night because they didn't use the portal. I don't think that's true. There's an evolution that has to happen in Clemson, South Carolina with acquiring talent via the portal. That's my opinion. I don't think that's what you point to last night though."

Pickell isn't the only one to voice this opinion. Multiple media members are all pointing to this as an issue while really hitting a larger point. Most people don't believe in the culture at Clemson anymore. The unique recruiting style, the #ALLIN nature of the team, and the idea that old-school football values can still be maintained. The portal is just an easy way to poke at that hole because there are numbers behind the lack of kids taken by Swinney and Clemson.

So the question now becomes will Dabo have to capitulate to the new era of the sport he's loved so much or will he eventually find the right guys that can perform under the system he still believes in? That's the question that will be at stake for the rest of this season.