In college football, most programs prioritize team development over players’ futures, but for Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, that isn’t the case. As the transfer window opens on January 2, Swinney’s stance on NIL once again comes into focus—especially as other teams look to upgrade their rosters. He has consistently refrained from chasing high-NIL quick fixes or cutting players loose.

“As long as the kid does what he’s supposed to do here, he’s going to have an opportunity to graduate from Clemson,” Swinney said at a press conference in November. “That’s just the way it is. It’s going to always be that way as long as I’m the head coach. The kid comes to Clemson, he’s a good kid. If he’s not a good enough player, that’s on us. As long as he goes to class, gives great effort, and is a good citizen, it’s still graduation do we part.”

Dabo Swinney operates differently when it comes to the transfer portal. He avoids constantly rebuilding his roster, as he doesn’t believe in pushing players out simply because they didn’t become stars or because someone else better is available. If football isn’t their path, academics will be—and beyond that, Clemson invests in building relationships so players actually want to stay.

Players such as quarterback Cade Klubnik and defensive standouts Peter Woods and TJ Parker could have left for stronger NIL deals and bigger programs, yet they chose to remain at Clemson. That decision reflects the program’s culture. Following that philosophy, Clemson has led the nation in graduation over the past three years and has ranked in the academic top ten for roughly 14 years.

Meanwhile, teams like West Virginia are already aligned with the NCAA’s roster limits. While 30 players entered the transfer portal—a situation that initially looked alarming—it was largely planned. Under current rules, teams are capped at 105 players, down from the previous limit of 120, making roster turnover unavoidable.

With portal departures and NIL dynamics influencing coaching decisions, programs are pouring massive resources into acquiring top talent. Take Miami as an example: after Carson Beck entered the portal last season, they reportedly secured him with $4 million in NIL money. Every team wants the best talent, but results are expected immediately.

With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how Swinney navigates Clemson’s portal challenges this season.

Dabo Swinney DC addresses roster struggles

Clemson enters the Pinstripe Bowl against Penn State facing significant roster depletion, but defensive coordinator Tom Allen sees the matchup as a valuable self-evaluation opportunity.

“We want to improve our roster,” Allen said. “We want to put ourselves in a position to play the way I want us to play—both structurally and in terms of attitude and mindset.”

The Tigers will play in the bowl game without 27 players due to injuries, transfers, and opt-outs. With so much at stake, the team could have opted out of postseason play altogether. Still, Allen believes the bowl game holds significant value, offering extra practices and live reps for Clemson’s younger players. He also views it as a critical opportunity to attract attention from potential transfer portal additions.

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“But then also being able to address that through the portal, I think that’s just an obvious thing,” Allen said. “We’re going to need to do it at multiple positions. Obviously, Coach Swinney leads the way on that, but I definitely see the need.”

With Avion Terrell opting out and Khalil Barnes transferring, Clemson is leaning heavily on younger players in the secondary, including Branden Strozier and other safeties. This opens the door for the program to pursue experienced defensive backs. Linebacker and defensive end depth remain major concerns as well. With Wade Woodaz sidelined by injury, the burden now falls on Sammy Brown, Jeremiah Alexander, and Kobe McCloud. On the edge, the unit is thin after TJ Parker declared for the NFL and Dre Quinn flipped to Ohio State.

With heavy portal movement and injuries piling up, all eyes will be on how Clemson performs against the Nittany Lions in the bowl game.