The Clemson football team saw their season come to an end about a month ago as they fell on the road against Texas in the first round of the College Football Playoff. The Tigers came into this season on a short playoff drought that the fan base is not used to, but they ended that drought this year. However, it really wasn't a better season than the past few years. Clemson went 9-3 in the regular season, but with the expansion of the College Football Playoff and the automatic bids, the Tigers were able to get after winning the ACC title. Now, the season is over, and Clemson could use some transfer portal additions to help them take the next step next year.

Clemson has won two national championships in the College Football Playoff era, and the fan base is hoping that they can find a way to get back to that level. The Tigers are still a top team in the ACC and it doesn't seem like that is going to change anytime soon. With the automatic bids, that gives the Tigers an edge for getting into the playoff, but can they find a way to win some games there in the future?

The Tigers put up a good fight in the playoff this year on the road against Texas. After a fast start that put Clemson up 7-0, they fell behind in a big hole and it looked Like Texas going to pull away. However, Clemson did a good job staying in it and they got themselves into a one-score dogfight in the fourth quarter. We all know how it ended, though.

Clemson came up short in the playoff, and they need to get better for the 2025 season. We know that head coach Dabo Swinney isn't a big fan of the transfer portal, but if he wants to win big in this new era, he needs to adapt. Here is one transfer portal player that Clemson should be taking a look at.

Johntay Cook, WR, Texas

Mississippi State Bulldogs safety Corey Ellington (10) tackles Texas Longhorns wide receiver Johntay Cook II (1) in the second half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

The Clemson football team lost to Texas in the College Football Playoff, but landing a transfer from the Longhorns would soften the blow of that defeat. One player that the Tigers should be looking at is Texas transfer wide receiver Johntay Cook. Cook was one of the top recruits in his class and he has the potential to be a star at the college level. He originally committed to Washington, but less than two days after arriving on campus, Cook and the Huskies parted ways. He is now back on the market, and Clemson should be pursuing him.

Clemson has lost some WR talent this offseason, and they could definitely use some experienced help at the position. Johntay Cook should be getting a lot of attention right now, so it won't be easy to land him, but it's something that Dabo Swinney should be considering.

Right now, Clemson has just three incoming transfers and they have lost five players. Will this be the year that Swinney starts to attack the portal harder? So far, he has not.

Transfer portal overview

One of the biggest parts of the college football offseason is the transfer portal, and the festivities begin before the offseason actually starts. Teams that didn’t qualify for the postseason have entered their offseason, but there are a lot of teams that still have bowl games to play. The transfer portal opened up on December 9th, so it creates some issues for players that want to transfer but still have a season going.

The transfer portal is a massive part of college football now, and there are definitely positives and negatives to it. One of the biggest issues that people have with it is the timing of the first window. It is open in early December so players can pick a new school and start the next semester there when January rolls around. However, it does create issues as we have already seen players this year on College Football Playoff teams have to miss out on the opportunity to participate in the CFP because of their transfer.

On the flip side, the transfer portal gives teams a chance to completely rebuild their squad in just one offseason. New head coaches can come in and bring in a lot of experienced players from the jump, and it can make for a quick turnaround. Any team has hope in the offseason because of the transfer portal.

The transfer portal opened up for the first time this season on December 9th and that first window stayed open until December 28th. This window is the main window where a lot of the action takes place, but the transfer portal will open again in the spring.

From April 16th until April 25th, the transfer portal will be back open. That way, players can go through spring ball and have a better idea of what their upcoming season will look like. If they aren’t satisfied, they can leave. We even sometimes see players that transferred in the first window transfer again in the second window, sometimes back to their original school.

The transfer portal is a crucial part of the offseason, and we will be hearing a lot about it from now until the end of the spring.