Correlation doesn’t always equal causation, but after Clemson got the absolute crap beaten out of them by Georgia today, everyone was pointing to one area where Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney has absolutely dropped the ball.
The NCAA transfer portal was first introduced in 2018 and allowed for faster and more efficient player movements from one college program to another without having to risk sitting out for a year in most cases.
In the years since it was formed, the transfer portal has effectively been a college football kingmaker, creating massive roster shifts that have allowed teams to go from scrap heap to the top of the mountain in no time at all.
But Swinney has completely eschewed using the transfer portal to augment his roster and one graphic shows that he’s been worse about it than any other coach in college football.
According to ESPN, Swinney has absolutely no starts at all to transfer players since the portal was introduced. It’s the lowest number of any non-service academy in college football.
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) August 31, 2024
Granted, Clemson won a 15-0 national title the year it was first introduced and three more ACC titles in the five seasons after, losing a grand total of 13 games in the process.
But by the same token, Clemson have fallen off pretty hard since 2021. The 2021 season saw the Tigers end a six-year run of College Football Playoff appearances and conference title wins.
Getty Images.
They have not had a top 10 finish in the AP poll over the past three seasons.
Meanwhile, the teams that have dominated in that span have all made ample use of the transfer portal.
Clemson is still quite good. But there’s overwhelming evidence that until Swinney starts giving the transfer portal a chance, his teams are going to struggle mightily to be great.
Related: The Spun’s Most Annoying People In Football Media: Elite Eight