National Analyst: People ‘Need to Chill Out’ with Criticism of Swinney
By: Staff Report May 16, 2024

Clemson is one of four programs in the FBS that didn’t take a player from the transfer portal this offseason, and Dabo Swinney spoke about that this week during an appearance on ACC Network’s ACC PM show.

“Well, it wasn’t really necessarily an intentional thing,” Clemson’s head coach said on Tuesday. “There were a couple guys we looked at. They gotta love you too. And honestly, every player is technically a transfer. We just signed a whole class of guys transferring from high school. So we like our guys. We like our starters.”

While Swinney has gotten a lot of heat from plenty of folks in the wake of those comments, this national college football analyst came to Dabo’s defense.

Barrett Sallee believes how Swinney approaches the transfer portal, and the lack of involvement in it, isn’t the end of the world — and Sallee says people need to chill out about it.

“Y’all need to chill out with the criticism of Dabo Swinney,” Sallee said on his College Football Smothered and Covered podcast. “What he said Tuesday night about not accepting transfers is not a case of him being reluctant to do so. It’s the fact that he didn’t see the upside when compared to what the dollar value was in the current market. That’s all. It’s exactly what (LSU head coach) Brian Kelly said and it’s exactly what (Auburn head coach) Hugh Freeze said.

“Now Brian Kelly didn’t say it very well and I don’t think Dabo Swinney said it very well either, and that’s why all the criticism, especially for both of those guys, is what it is. But we can’t ask for coaches and players to peel back the curtain and then get pissed when they peel back the curtain.”

Kelly said he isn’t “in the market of buying players,” adding that “unfortunately, right now, that’s what some guys are looking for. They want to be bought.”

Freeze, meanwhile, spoke about wanting to develop his quarterbacks instead of “spend a million dollars” on a transfer QB: “The options that you’re presented with: develop Payton (Thorne), develop Holden (Geriner), develop Hank (Brown), develop Walker (White), or go spend a million dollars on this guy. I just couldn’t bring myself to doing that because I wanted to put all the pieces together.”

A limited number of signed footballs from Clemson’s 2022 class are still available.  Get yours while supplies last!  Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!