Say what you want to about Dabo Swinney and that Clemson football program, but the culture there is as good as any in the country.
In an era where college football feels like a constant cycle of roster shuffling and NIL-fueled drama, Clemson seems like one of the few programs thriving by doing the opposite. While others scramble to fill holes left by mass departures or toss around bags of NIL cash to land the next big thing, Swinney and his Tigers are choosing a different route. And it’s working.
“We're just sitting back and watching, watching it all around us,” Swinney told ESPN with a grin. “It's a crazy time... I'm just glad we're not a part of it.”
Has Clemson won a national championship in the NIL/portal era? No. But, the Tigers have won three conference titles since 2020, made two College Football Playoff appearances, and would've had another if the expanded CFP were already in place. That's not nothing.
How Dabo Swinney seems to have turned the tide on the portal and NIL
It’s not that Clemson completely avoids the transfer portal—Swinney admitted they’ll use it to plug an occasional gap—but the Tigers are far from reliant on it. And that’s the point. While chaos reigns elsewhere, Clemson is building a roster the old-fashioned way: through development, continuity, and a laser focus on culture. The result? Stability, unity, and a team that's as tight-knit as it’s been since their run of national title appearances a few years ago.
Cade Klubnik, now a veteran under center, summed it up perfectly:
Cade Klubnik, now a veteran under center, summed it up perfectly: “We’re not losing a bunch of guys. We’re not getting a bunch of guys. It’s the same locker room it was last January.”
While a lot of other programs are having to worry about their top players leaving, Clemson isn't. That's not to say that the Tigers are immune to a portal defection or two, but we're not talking about total overhaul. And, it's clear that Swinney has also made some major moves to ensure that the Tigers continue to compete in the new era of college football.
First, he brought in Matt Luke to serve as the team's offensive line coach. That was a much-needed veteran presence to add to the coaching staff in a time where they were very young at assistant coaches. Then, this past offseason, he brought in Tom Allen to be the new defensive coordinator. The intensity of Allen has already paid dividends for the Tigers defensively, who had one of their worst defensive showings in years back in 2024.
Now, Clemson is set up to be a legit competitor in 2025. There will be questions about the Tigers, for sure, regardless of what happens, but Dabo Swinney has continued to build Clemson his way and, honestly, it seems to be working.