A national outlet released its latest preseason top 25 and Clemson faced some heavy criticism in the ranking.

The Tigers are the only power conference team in the country to not take in a transfer during this cycle. In The Athletic’s latest rankings, Ari Wasserman had a lot to say about the program’s approach.

Clemson came in at No. 18 on the ranking, the third-highest for an ACC team.

When you look at the other teams on this list, you see coaches who tried very hard to address holes on their roster through the portal. Clemson’s offense was difficult to watch at times last year yet the Tigers did nothing in the portal, which has been my ongoing critique of Dabo Swinney. Though Clemson should have one of the best defenses in the country, quarterback Cade Klubnik is going to have to turn into a magician to get this team back into the national championship discussion. It’s a shame that’s the case because we aren’t far removed from the Tigers being a national favorite year after year.

No punches pulled as Wasserman criticized the lack of impact through the transfer portal. To this point in Dabo Swinney’s career at Clemson, it hasn’t truly hindered the program’s success.

The next few seasons will be another true test, but the Tigers have produced under the microscope and 2024 is another opportunity to do just that.