After steering clear of transfers for the past 4 seasons, Dabo Swinney has finally entered the portal era with the addition of 2 veteran free agents.

The Clemson Tigers, led by head coach Dabo Swinney, did not conclude the season on a high note. They managed to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff as the No. 12 seed but were defeated by the No.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney hadn't brought in a defensive transfer until Purdue's Will Heldt. The edge rusher was nicknamed a 'terminator' for the Boilermakers.

Part of it came from a place of reflection — no one expected Clemson to sneak into the first 12-team Playoff as a 12 seed after the Tigers lost to rival South Carolina, their third loss of the regular season, before they squeezed into the ACC title game and won it. On Saturday, Clemson fought until the end on the road against No. 5 Texas.

Clemson loss to Texas in the CFP on Saturday. Dabo Swinney viewed the 2024 season as a stepping stone for what's to come next year. Here's why.

In the wake of Clemson's playoff loss to Texas, the Tigers have the perfect blueprint right in front of them to finally dip their toes into this newfangled transfer portal of sorts. What Texas does could easily be replicated in Clemson for Dabo Swinney.

While Clemson might have lost the game, there were a lot of positive takeaways for the program. Going against one of the best defenses in the country, the Tigers were able to scor