CLEMSON – For those that say Dabo Swinney does not like NIL, Clemson’s long time head coach says that is nonsense.

“What do you mean? You think our guys are here for free,” Swinney said on the Always College Football podcast with Greg McElroy on Monday. “You don’t think people tried to get Peter Woods, Antonio Williams, T.J. Parker, Sammy Brown, Ashton Hampton, T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco? You do not think they try and get our players? Sure they do! Tampering is…it is insane what is going on in college football.”

Swinney says players like Woods, Williams and Parker stayed at Clemson because of its culture and the value they put in Clemson itself.

“Our kids stay here because we created value in the place and there is value in the people who you are doing life with every day,” he said. “Like, who is running your meetings? Who is teaching you? Who are you practicing with? Who are you doing football life with every day?”

More than 10,000 players entered the transfer portal this past season, with some of them being pushed in there, others being overpaid from the year before and some that are mad by the way they were treated, homesick or lack of playing time.

“Our process is different, but that is why we lead the nation in retention,” Swinney said. “Our process is proven. We have a culture. I think it is incredible. We have a developmental program.

“The world has changed. There are 105 scholarships now. You have high school recruiting in December and the portal in January… You have to use it now. It is not a source for us, but it is a resource, so it depends.”

Swinney claims some college athletes make a ridiculous amount of money these days.

“It is crazy, but that is the world we are in,” he said. “I am not going to pay a high school kid more. I am not going to pay a high school linebacker more than Sammy Brown. That makes no sense.

“It is not like I can’t go and get a player. If I have to pay the high school kid more than Sammy Brown, then guess what? I am going to go get a kid out of the portal and pay him what we need to pay him.”

Swinney says he is brutally honest with his players, too. He is extremely transparent, as Clemson rewards performance.

“I am not willing to comprise or sacrifice having a strong culture and getting away from what has always won here and that is having a purpose,” Swinney said.