Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney did a deep dive into a hot-button topic during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.

The two-time national title-winning head coach not only went into detail regarding his feelings on the new transfer portal window, but also provided some specifics on his portal philosophy. Something Swinney has taken a lot of heat for in the past.

Beginning this year, there is now just one portal window, instead of two. The lone window opens on January 2 and lasts only 15 days, as it will close on January 16. Last year, the portal window coincided with the early signing period, and there was also a second window following spring practice.

“I love the fact that high school recruiting is not getting disrupted,” Swinney said from the Smart Family Media Center. “Because it was all right there together. So you can focus on your high school recruits, and then you can focus on what you’ve got to do in the portal.”

“The timing is different. Which I don’t think is ideal, but is much better than what it was.”

With the portal window opening later than it typically has, Clemson can put its full attention on wrapping up the 2026 signing class, then decide what holes need to be filled via the portal.

“For us, if we don’t get what we need out of the high school pool, or we have a guy that is committed and all of a sudden decommits late, then all of a sudden you have a gap,” said Swinney. “Now you have more time to fill that gap as opposed to the way it was.”

However, the window being pushed back hasn’t had much impact on the tampering that goes on nonstop, but Swinney insists that Clemson will continue to follow the rules that are in place, even if others are not.

“There is still a lot of tampering going on,” Swinney said. “That is just the way of the world. It is out there. We have had people reach out to us and say, “Hey, such and such, this guy is going to enter the portal.’ I know people are having those conversations and cutting deals. Not us. We ain’t doing that. Guy enters the portal, then we will have those conversations. We will do it right.”

When asked if he believes that could put his program at a disadvantage, Swinney was rather frank with his answer.

“I have no idea,” Swinney said. “Don’t care. Not worried about it. We are going to do what is right. I don’t really care what other people do. Clemson is going to be just fine. We are going to do what is right. Always have.”

At the same time, Swinney insists that he will hit the portal for whatever needs arise.

“We know what our needs are. It isn’t like it is some big secret, but I will let everybody know,” he said. “I will let (the media) advertise that for me. I will make sure y’all put that out there so people will know.”

“We are going to know what we need. We know what we are filling high school-wise, and you know who is leaving and whatever your retention situation is. Who goes pro? So in January, you know this is our gap. Nothing has changed for us as far as what our approach is. What puts us in the portal is not getting the best high school kid that we want, or a kid decommits late, you can’t replace him, like happened last year. We went and got Will Heldt.”

Photo by Bart Boatwright