With Clemson off to its worst start in more than two decades, many have just one question. Why?

What is the reason the Tigers have dropped three out of their first four games? Ask four different people and you might get four different answers. However, one popular theory is that Dabo Swinney needed to hit the portal harder and that feels a little like revisionist history.

Most were satisfied with the moves Swinney made in the portal over the offseason, with the biggest gripe on the topic being that the Tigers didn’t add a punter. Some thought a safety or running back needed to be brought in, but by and large, most believed coming into the season that Clemson had the talent.

In fact, per CBS Sports’ Bud Elliott, the Tigers have one of the better blue-chip ratios (55%) in the country. Only 15 teams came into the season with a higher blue-chip ratio than Clemson. For comparison’s sake, the 2016 national title team only had a blue-chip ratio of 52%. The 2023 Michigan team was at 54% and the 2013 Florida State team was at 53%. Both those teams also won it all in those seasons.

Peter Woods, TJ Parker, Avieon Terrell and Cade Klubnik were all being projected as first-round picks in next spring’s NFL Draft. Klubnik was even a favorite to win the Heisman, but he just hasn’t fared well over the first four games.

The offensive line returned four starters and two more players with a ton of experience. The wide receiver room features two players who were ranked as five-stars at one point or another. The defense is also littered with blue-chippers.

All that to say, this isn’t a talent issue. Something else is amiss here. Something that appears to run much deeper than actual talent.

Maybe there are too many former players on the coaching staff, which in turn could create an echo chamber and limit fresh ideas. Although, to be fair, Swinney has gone outside of the program for his last few hires, including both coordinators.

Garrett Riley, Matt Luke and Tom Allen were all brought in from outside of the program. Another recent hire, Chris Rumph, was on the Clemson staff from 2006-2010, but before rejoining the Tigers’ staff ahead of last season, he spent time at Alabama, Texas, Tennessee and Florida, before serving as an assistant on three different NFL teams. By all intents and purposes, that has to be considered an outside hire. So, judging by his last few moves regarding his staff, Swinney is making an effort to bring in some outside voices.

However, there is still a lot of Clemson flavor on the coaching staff, particularly when you start poring over the support staff, which is massive. The argument can be made that maybe it is too big. You know what they say about having too many cooks in the kitchen.

Maybe it runs even deeper than who is on the staff. Either way, there is surely a major disconnect somewhere.

At this point, there are far more questions than answers, but among all the issues this team has at the moment, talent isn’t one of them. There is plenty of that. They’re just not playing up to their potential. Why they’re not is what Swinney is tasked with figuring out.

Photo by Bart Boatwright