On Tuesday, Troy Stellato became Clemson’s first transfer portal departure of the 2024 season.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney met with the media on Wednesday for his national signing day press conference and commented on Stellato’s decision to enter the portal next week when it opens.
The redshirt junior receiver will have two years of eligibility remaining, and Swinney confirmed that Stellato will not travel with the team to Saturday’s ACC Championship Game against SMU.
“He just wants a bigger role,” Swinney said. “He’s a great kid. Y’all know I love the ‘Italian Stallion.’ He’s one of my favorite dudes. He loves football. He just wants to be the one or two, and that’s just not where he is. He could be, and he has been here or there. But with the guys that we have on the roster and the guys coming back, he just wants a little bigger role. It’s not that big a deal.”
Stellato’s first two seasons with the Tigers were marred by injury, but he had carved out a role in the offense over the past two seasons. He started six games in 2023 and five more in 2024.
Stellato’s season came to an end after playing just eight snaps against Pitt on Nov. 16. It would later be revealed he was dealing with a thumb injury that he was just not able to play through. After the win over the Panthers, Swinney announced Stellato would miss the rest of the season due to the thumb needing to be addressed via a surgical procedure.
On Wednesday, Swinney added that he has a “great relationship” with Stellato and he “hasn’t burned a bridge.”
“I want to try to help him if I can,” Swinney said. “I hate that he missed basically two and a half years. We really got about a year and a half out of him, but that kid made a lot of big plays for us. But he just wants a bigger role, and with the guys we have on the roster, it’s hard. It is what it is.”
The Clemson Insider spoke with Stellato after the announcement regarding his decision to move on.
Stellato told us he “felt disrespected at times” and added that he didn’t understand how he “was demoted after the UVA game” on Oct. 19.
“Whatever these guys feel that they feel, it is what it is,” Swinney said. “Sometimes coaches make decisions at all levels, and you don’t always agree with those decisions. So, that’s just the way it is.”
A former four-star prospect, Stellato played in just two games during his first season with the Tigers due to injuries and ultimately redshirted. An ACL injury forced him to miss his entire second season.
In 2023, Stellato enjoyed a breakout campaign, catching 38 balls for 321 yards and a touchdown. He appeared in 12 of the 13 games.
This season, Stellato reeled in 25 catches for 264 yards and a touchdown. His seven catches in the win over Virginia were a career high, as were his 74 receiving yards.
–The Clemson Insider’s Jason Priester contributed to this story