Dabo Swinney addresses critics of his transfer portal usage after Georgia loss

The story this offseason around Clemson has been the lack of use in the NCAA transfer portal. Dabo Swinney has stuck to his policy and not budged, vocally defending himself at times. But after taking a big loss to Georgia on Saturday in Atlanta, the noise around Swinney’s tactics has gotten even louder.

Swinney was asked about his portal ideology during his postgame press conference. He admitted people critical of the Tigers have every right to be after the performance against a Georgia team many consider the favorite to win the national championship. Criticism is only going to ramp up for Swinney and Clemson after Week 1.

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“People are gonna say whatever they want to say,” Swinney said. “We do what’s best for Clemson year in and year out. And when you lose like this — that have any right to say whatever they want. So, say whatever you want to say, write whatever you want to write. It comes with it, it’s a part of it.”

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Over the past few offseasons, Clemson has only brought in two players through the portal. Both wound up being backup quarterbacks for the program, sitting behind DJ Uiagalelei and Cade Klubnik. All of the play acquisition from Swinney has been done through the high school recruiting ranks.

Looking over to Georgia’s side, the leading receiver from Mercedes-Benz Stadium was London Humphreys — a former Vanderbilt transfer. Kirby Smart is quite selective with his portal process but has found a way to hit when looking for outside help.

Right now, there is nothing Swinney can do. The portal will not be open until the regular season is over, no additions can be made to the roster. Losing to Georgia is usually nothing to be ashamed of but at one point, Clemson was thought to be on their level. Any kind of loss was going to have Swinney answering questions about the lack of moves during the offseason.

Clemson will trek on with their season, having a difficult Week 2 matchup. App State will be coming to town, being a Group of Five team tabbed by a few to make the College Football Playoff this season. The tests will not stop anytime soon for Swinney.