And as one Power 4 coach said of Swinney's portal position, "You can still win a championship without the portal. The margin for error is just much smaller, and your flaws get much harder to hide."
Since the modern portal began in 2018, Clemson has never had a transfer start a game. In the most recent cycle, only four schools did not take a single transfer: Clemson and the three service academies. For the latter three, an endorsement from a member of Congress is necessary. For Clemson, the bar may be even higher. -
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In the portal, Swinney sees mostly cast-offs. He looks at the high school recruits Clemson has signed and sees limitless potential. The reason Clemson hasn't returned to its status as a perennial playoff team is that the results haven't matched that potential.
Instead, Tigers fans have been left frustrated after Swinney and others spent an entire offseason raving about freshmen wideouts Bryant Wesco and T.J. Moore -- quotes about how the pair was incredibly advanced at this stage, how the Tigers didn't need veteran help at their most underperforming position because these two new faces would change the game.
Wesco played 12 snaps against Georgia. Moore played five. They combined for two catches for 12 yards, all in the fourth quarter after the game was out of hand.
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Since the modern portal began in 2018, Clemson has never had a transfer start a game. In the most recent cycle, only four schools did not take a single transfer: Clemson and the three service academies. For the latter three, an endorsement from a member of Congress is necessary. For Clemson, the bar may be even higher. -
..............
In the portal, Swinney sees mostly cast-offs. He looks at the high school recruits Clemson has signed and sees limitless potential. The reason Clemson hasn't returned to its status as a perennial playoff team is that the results haven't matched that potential.
Instead, Tigers fans have been left frustrated after Swinney and others spent an entire offseason raving about freshmen wideouts Bryant Wesco and T.J. Moore -- quotes about how the pair was incredibly advanced at this stage, how the Tigers didn't need veteran help at their most underperforming position because these two new faces would change the game.
Wesco played 12 snaps against Georgia. Moore played five. They combined for two catches for 12 yards, all in the fourth quarter after the game was out of hand.
What's the matter with Clemson? Here's why it's not just about the transfer portal
Dabo Swinney is under fire for not using the transfer portal. But the Tigers' issues are more complex than that.
