As college football undergoes major shifts through the transfer portal and the surge of NIL opportunities, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has stood firm in his philosophy. The ACC’s longest-serving head coach has chosen a restrained approach—relying on the portal only to address specific roster needs.
Unlike other top-tier programs that pursue sweeping changes or enter recruiting battles fueled by NIL offers, Swinney resists quick fixes. Clemson’s strategy reflects a broader commitment to stability, steering clear of transactional roster-building and prioritizing long-term cohesion over one-year rentals.
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Now in his 17th full season, Dabo Swinney remains one of college football’s few constants amid widespread upheaval. Clemson’s head coach has long voiced concern over the rapidly shifting landscape driven by NIL deals and the transfer portal. His stance remains firm: use the portal sparingly and avoid high-stakes bidding wars for unproven high school talent.
“There has been a ton of chaos,” he added. “It’s like I told our staff. We’re entering a really chaotic time. But the more chaos out there, the better it is for us because we’re built for it.”
That instability was on full display recently as quarterbacks Nico Iamaleava and Joey Aguilar swapped schools—Iamaleava leaving Tennessee for UCLA after skipping the spring game in pursuit of a better NIL package, and Aguilar exiting UCLA for Tennessee after just a short stint with the Bruins following a transfer from Appalachian State.
Meanwhile, Iamaleava’s younger brother Madden left Arkansas to follow him to UCLA, prompting Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek to support recovering NIL funds from athletes who break agreements.
Swinney said Clemson added three players during the winter portal period, but outside of that, the Tigers have only brought in two scholarship transfers since the portal began in 2018. He noted that only two portal departures stung: Andrew Mukuba, who went to Texas, and A.J. Hoffler, now at Georgia Tech.
Despite criticism after a 9-4 campaign in 2023—Clemson’s only season without 10 wins in the past 14 years—Swinney isn’t changing course.
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“We’ve been to the playoff seven of the last 10 years and won eight of the last 10 ACC championships,” he said. The only narrative I care about is staying with our purpose of graduating our players and what the facts are, winning games, and that’s not going to change regardless of what happens around us.”
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