CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney addressed the challenges of modern roster evaluation and player movement Tuesday, reflecting on the preparation required for opponents utilizing transfer portal talent and former professional players.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s hard. I mean, I can honestly say it’s.” Swinney said.
Scouting Transferred and Professional Roster Additions
Swinney explained the extensive film study required ahead of season openers when opposing rosters feature new personnel brought in from rival collegiate programs and professional ranks.
“I mean, again, you know, you spend all summer. I mean, looking at watching Arizona State again to get a feel for this quarterback.” Swinney said. “You’re watching Colorado to get a feel for this elite, elite left tackle they got. This is a dude. You’re studying Wisconsin. You’re studying Ole Miss. You’re looking at a lot of things to try to get a feel for personnel that you’re going to play.”
Swinney added that preparation has even extended to examining film from NFL franchises.
“And you know, yeah, been spending this last week or so studying the Browns and the Cowboys and the Saints and the Bucks. You know, trying to get ready, I actually got to go watch practice early June with Brown, so I’m probably going to get turned in for tampering. I don’t know.” Swinney said. “I wish I’d have known. Paid a little more more attention, but yeah, it’s crazy. It’s it’s it’s hard, you know. I mean, openers are hard, but again, we’ve got a lot of new people, and you know it’s the same for them. We got a bunch of new people too, but it’s a crazy world we’re living in.”
Frustration Over College Football Governance
Asked about the ongoing shifts in college roster building, Swinney shared his perspective on the state of governance across the sport.
“Does that frustrate you at all, having to deal with that?” a reporter asked.
“No, it does frustrate me. I don’t, I don’t, I don’t give. I think it’s. I mean, honestly, rarely am I at a loss for words, but chapel, I’m at kind of a loss for words.” Swinney responded. “I would just say it’s kind of embarrassing. I mean, honestly, it’s just embarrassing that that’s where we are. I don’t blame the kids, people trying to take advantage of the system. I just think it’s embarrassing where we are in college football, and we’ve been there for a while. So I just keep my energy and my focus on the things that I control and the things that matter. That’s these kids here and our team. But you know, all that outside stuff. I mean, we just kind of, we just kind of, no pun intended. We just stay in our lane, you know. Here, here at Clemson, try to every now and then somebody will ram into us, but we try to just kind of handle our business here.”
“But it’s embarrassing. I mean, it really is.” Swinney added. “You know, we have no rules. There’s no governance. I mean, it’s a joke.”
Maintaining Program Identity Amid Judicial Rulings
Swinney noted how legal challenges to NCAA regulations have impacted enforcement across the country, reiterating his focus on managing his own locker room.
“There’s zero rules, and when you enforce rules, somebody just goes and finds a judge to say no, you can’t enforce that rule. So, I mean, never did I think I’d be living in an era like this. But that’s where we are, you know. Hopefully, eventually there’ll be some different things come down the pipe. But all I can tell you is, man, we we we.” Swinney said. “we we have great kids here. We have great kids. We’ve got great people here, and we try to just kind of stay focused on Clemson and how we do things. And we try”
