Culture is Clemson superpower, but transfer portal could be ticket back to national title race

The Clemson Tigers have taken a slight step back recently after missing out on the College Football Playoff for a third consecutive season last year. As they’ll now look to return to the postseason picture this upcoming season in the expanded 12-team CFP.

Head coach Dabo Swinney has faced some criticism lately regarding Clemson’s shortcomings, with many pointing toward his lack of using he newly popular transfer portal as a reason for the Tigers’ regression. But On3’s Steve Wiltfong believes that some of that judgment has been overstated, which he broke down with Andy Staples on Thursday.

“Well, I think Clemson is recruiting at a high level in this 2025 cycle,” Wiltfong said. “My biggest question mark with Clemson has been when Dabo Swinney and that staff were making those championship runs they had elite quarterback play, they had absolute tremendous difference makers on the perimeter and in the running back room, and some of those guys are some of the best players in the NFL still right now, and they were outstanding on the defensive front. They haven’t recruited the quarterback position at that level since, and it’s hard to do that.”

Along with Clemson not having the headlining, superstar names that they used to, Wilfong also pointed out that they do not have the same all-star coaching staffs as well from their national championship days. With many moving on to higher lever jobs over the years. But the question still remains, can the transfer portal help the Tigers get back into the national title hunt?

“I understand the standard is winning a national championship, do I think that Clemson could look to the portal for one or two Clemson-type guys a cycle? Yes. I think that there are guys that fit the mold of Clemson that are in the portal that would love to go there and help them,” Wiltfong said.

As other programs continue to use the transfer portal heavily, Swinney and the Tigers have not. With 23 players leaving the Clemson program through the transfer portal the past two offseasons with just one player joining through the portal. But Wiltfong believes Clemson adding the occasional player through the portal to add necessary depth where needed can be sustainable for the Tigers given their strong culture built by Swinney.

“I think that they can supplement their roster with the portal with guys that fit their culture. But their culture is their superpower right? Even this past year when everybody was talking shots at them and saying Clemson was done they rallied and won a lot of football games there at the end of the year and had some fun over the last couple months and salvaged the season and finished strong,” Wiltfong explained. “And I think that’s a testament to their culture because a lot of programs the wheels would have just fell off there and maybe they don’t even make a bowl game. He protects that culture and I admire it.”

Concerns regarding the Tigers’ sustaining depth compared to their opponents are valid, as they’ll inevitably continue to lose some players to the transfer portal while the competition continues to add veteran, experienced players to their rosters. But their continued prowess in the high school recruiting ranks paired with the expansion of the 12 team College Football Playoff, selective portal use, and their strong overall culture could put them back in the national championship picture sooner than later.

“I think we’re nitpicking a program that is still in the hunt for conference titles every year, and when you do that you’ve got a chance to make the College Football Playoff and we’ll go from there.”