The 2023-24 college football season saw the rise and demise of high-level programs. In the ACC a team like Florida State was resurrected after years of climbing back to the top of the conference. The ACC leaders up until then were the Clemson Tigers. Clemson football has been considered one of the most elite programs of the past decade, but there seems to be a shift happening. Head coach Dabo Swinney is competing against programs that have prioritized NIL deals and transfer portal targets, turning college football into a modern-day free-agent frenzy, per Grace Raynor at The Athletic.
There's no longer an option whether to use the transfer portal or not, there's a need. That's a need for all programs across the country to be able to lure in instant-impact players. It worked for a team like Florida State to get back on the map, but Swinney's old-school habits have kept Clemson football behind. The Tigers finished the 2023 season with a 9-4 record, suffering a rare loss in Death Valley.
High school recruiting and developing players from within has worked for Swinney and the Tigers in the past, but it's time to step into new shoes if Clemson football wants to compete for a National Championship. Top programs across the country like Texas, Ole Miss, and Ohio State are using the transfer portal to revamp their roster and build it into National Title form each offseason.
Clemson football was nowhere to be found in the Top 25 last season and it looks like it will stay that way if Swinney can't accept the modern era of college sports. With a top program like Clemson, the transfer portal and NIL should be in their favor. This may be the decline of the Tigers, but Swinney still has a chance to turn it around.
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