Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program entered bowl season to bolster their offensive line and defensive line, with the transfer portal seeming like something the Tigers might finally utilize. That is not the case anymore, as Swinney has made it clear that the program is no longer looking to the portal for help at either unit.
Rather, Swinney is comfortable where they are and with whom they have joined the program in this 2024 recruiting class. There are pieces all over this defensive line that can play, and we might even see one of the top Tigers on the defense line up on the edge rather than inside next season.
“I don’t see a portal situation. That was a position that we looked at. We kinda evaluate every position on our roster on the portal standpoint as a staff. And that was a position that, you know, with the guys that we have in-house and what we’ve been able to see from those guys, It wasn’t a position we wanted a portal guy because we’ve got a guy like Peter Woods that can play anywhere. So, you know, is there a guy out there that we think would come in and be better than that? We didn’t feel that. You know, so we focused on the high school kid,” Swinney said.
So, right now, the Tigers are done with the transfer portal, it seems. While they didn’t land anyone from the portal, at least we saw the head coach attempt to land some players from it… right?
Clemson isn’t completely closing the door on the portal, but right now, Swinney just doesn’t see where it will come into play for them.
“If you get a group of guys that aren’t with you in the spring, there’s no high school kids to get; you have to sign whatever you can get in the portal,” Swinney said. “So that’s just where we are today. If something changes, then you have to respond to that, but you have to base it on where you are; you know, I’m committed to the kids on this roster, and we really believe in our roster.”