Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has been a polarizing figure in college football, especially recently. In the age of the transfer portal and name, image, and likeness, Swinney has been resolute in his opposition, and the Tigers were the only non-service academy that didn’t take a single transfer in the offseason.
Will that strategy backfire for Swinney and the Tigers? Here are three quetions we want answered from Swinney at ACC Media Days.
3 Questions We Want Answered From Dabo Swinney
1) What Happens If Clemson’s Transfer Strategy Backfires?
I put on my reporter hat for this one. Swinney is going to get asked about his portal strategy and in all likelihood he’s going to the type of standard, somewhat cheesy answer we’ve come to expect from the Clemson head coach.
In an effort to avoid that, I’d LOVE it if somebody asked Swinney this way.
This gives Swinney an opportunity to either triple down with a defiant, “It’s going to work” or force him to be candid about his reservations and address the potential pitfalls of making an enemy of the transfer portal.
But the reality is, there’s real concern from Clemson fans that stems from Swinney’s stubbornness with the portal. If the Tigers come out flat in 2024, what’s next? If Swinney’s transfer portal strategy backfires and the Tigers struggle this year or miss the expanded playoff, what does that mean for the multi-time National Champion’s future?
Swinney is certain to have comments about the current state of college football, but if reporters can get out ahead of it, we’ll get a less boilerplate, more intriguing answer.
2) What Needs to Change on Offense?
Another one of the drawbacks to Swinney’s anti-portal stance is that it’s harder to make drastic improvement. The Tigers brought in Garrett Riley last season to transform the offense, but he seemed to struggle to implement his system under Swinney and the Tigers looked lost occasionally on offense.
Word from inside the program is that the coaching staff has been pleased with the progress of the receivers and that new offensive line coach Matt Luke has upgraded that position group, but will that be enough to avoid another season of failing to reach 25 points in half of their games?
The Tigers lost a ton on the defensive line, so if the offense doesn’t improve, will the defense be able to bail them out again?
3) Who’s Next?
Clemson, more than most other schools, gets a ton out of its freshmen. I want to know ho I should expect to immediately contribute when watching the Tigers when they open the season against Georgia.
Last year, it was interior defensive tackle Peter Woods and receiver Tyler Brown who showed out immediately. This year, who’s the guy that elevates the team around him? Will it be one of the highly-rated pass catchers or someone else. Without impact transfers, Clemson really needs a few of its true freshmen to contribute or its hard to see how the Tigers will bounce back to where their fans expect them to be.
ACC Media Days Schedule: Dabo Swinney, Clemson Head Coach
- Date: Thursday, July 25
- Time: 9 am – 4 pm ET
- How to watch: ESPN 2/ACC Network
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