Dabo Swinney on Clemson not seeing huge transfer portal departures: 'It's really remarkable'

Looking at last year’s College Football Playoff participants, an average of around 25 players left this offseason via the NCAA transfer portal. Georgia is around the same number, proving the sport’s top teams are dealing with an insane amount of turnover during the offseason. Clemson and Dabo Swinney cannot say the same, though.

Just 12 guys entered the portal and left Clemson following the 2023 season. And just two of those came during the spring window, something Swinney was impressed with.

“I don’t want to lose any,” Swinney said. “But in context, it’s really remarkable. It really is.”

Zechariah Owens and Adam Kissayi both decided to leave Clemson. Owens was entering his second season playing under Swinney but opted to commit to Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes with four years of eligibility remaining.

Kissayi was a class of 2024 signing for Clemson but after enrolling and going through spring practice, he decided to head north. PJ Fleck and the Minnesota Golden Gophers are now where the EDGE rusher calls home.

Swinney still believes in the talent of Kissayi and Owens, wanting them to be a part of his program. Somebody like Kissayi never got to experience a gameday while wearing a Tigers uniform. But transfer rules allow players to leave as they wish.

“Two young guys that really weren’t going to play this year. Had they stuck with it, I think they could have turned into good players. That’s why we signed them. But not everybody wants to be patient. Opportunity has been created where we make it very easy to move on, you see a lot of movement in college football.”

Clemson’s culture is a real selling point for Swinney. Not just in the recruiting process but also when attempting to retain his roster heading into the next season. Seeing just two guys leave during the spring window proves his process is working, in his eyes.

After all, the numbers do not lie when comparing the Tigers to some of college football’s best programs. Not to say their culture is bad or worse than Clemson. But the turnover rate proved to be significantly lower.

“I think it’s remarkable and I think it’s a testament to the people that we have in place,” Swinney said. “Our culture, how we go about things. Our process on the front end and then how we handle the day-to-day at Clemson. So, it’s pretty amazing.”