Clemson Tigers Boss Dabo Swinney Explains Decision to Use Transfer Portal
The Clemson Tigers have had a hectic offseason so far after a strong campaign in 2024.
It was a really nice bounce-back year for the Tigers in 2024. After a disappointing season in 2023, Clemson won 10 games on their way to an ACC Title and a trip to the College Football Playoff.
While it was nice to make the CFP, the Tigers were outmatched by a strong Texas Longhorns team. However, there was a lot of learning and developing from the season. Next year is shaping up to have the potential to be a special one for the program.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Tigers received excellent news when Cade Klubnik announced that he would be returning for his senior season. As the team heads into 2025, Klubnik will be an early front-runner for the Heisman.
Also, his wide receiver corps might be one of the best that there has been in the history of the program led by Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco Jr, and T.J. Moore.
After a disappointing season on the defensive side of the ball, Dabo Swinney made a significant change to his coaching staff by bringing in Tom Allen from the Penn State Nittany Lions.
The addition of Allen will hopefully help fix a defense that struggled at times in 2024, especially against the run.
Furthermore, Clemson also shockingly decided to strike in the transfer portal by bringing in some impact players for the first time. One of the players that the Tigers brought in was edge rusher Will Heldt from the Purdue Boilermakers.
Recently, Swinney spoke to Jason Preister of the Clemson Insider about the decision to bring in Heldt.
As you know, things can change in recruiting,” Swinney said. “We had a young man decide to back out and go somewhere else. There wasn’t anybody left to recruit to fill the need that we needed. So we have a gap. We have to use the portal and we needed a high-level guy and we got the guy that I wanted to get.”
Utilizing the portal hasn’t been a common practice for Clemson like other teams in the country, but with some commitments backing out on the defensive side of the ball, Swinney made a good decision to add Heldt.
With two years left of eligibility, he very well could become one of the premier pass-rushers on the team if his performance in 2024 was any indication. In addition to getting after the passer, he also totaled 56 tackles, as he will be an excellent pairing opposite of T.J. Parker.
If the Tigers can improve on the defensive side of the ball to complement the offense, this team has the potential to not only win the ACC next year but to compete for a National Championship.