One ESPN host sick of 'blasphemy' toward Dabo Swinney, another says he can't win big without change

ESPN College gameday host Rece Davis says he's sick of hearing the "Dabo blasphemy."

by TigerNet Staff - Thu May 30 14:26:38 GMT-05:00 2024

It is talking season, and how Clemson constructs its roster and whether it can challenge for a national title again is hotly debated.

Transfer portal use, or the lack thereof, has been a common critique of the Dabo Swinney program lately, considering the Tigers' efforts in acquiring portal players or not, depending on the outlet.

College GameDay host Rece Davis says he's sick of hearing it.

"In the vein of (not rooting for teams but rooting for stories), I’m rooting for the story of Clemson," Davis said. "I’m sick to death – sick to death of the Dabo blasphemy. I’ve had it. All this, 'You have got to use the portal.' You know what, the guy has won two national championships and played for two more. If he thinks it can work this way, why would we just automatically assume that because they’ve had a couple of, by Clemson standards, recent Clemson standards – by all-time Clemson standards, they haven’t had down years – by recent Clemson standards...they’ve had a couple of not as championship-caliber years. I’m rooting for that story.

"Not because I’m against the portal. The way Lane (Kiffin)’s doing it, go for it. No problem. No problem at all. Dabo’s trying to do it his way. Good for him. Go ahead. I hope Clemson is really, really good this year. Not rooting for the team – rooting for that story because of that."

Elsewhere on the ESPN podcast, analyst Bill Connelly says something has to change for the Tigers to win another national title.

"Clemson is really interesting because they're not bad. I think with the way Dabo Swinney runs his current that he's not going to win another national title. He's not going to produce another Top 2 or 3 team," Connelly said. "I'm definitely not saying that Dabo should go out and sign 20 transfers. But I think he is being overly stubborn, like not taking the four biggest holes on the roster and bringing in four guys to fill those holes, and leaning on upperclassmen and development for everything else. Because again, like if you're signing top 15 classes, even with awesome development and everything else, you're still going to need a little boost to get ahead of all other teams signing Top 10 or 15 classes, and he doesn't have that right now.

"If we go back to signing contracts and guys staying 2-3 years or whatever, he's set. He's right back in his environment, and he can move right back up. Right now, in this environment, he's not going to win another national title."

ESPN radio host Ryan McGee says a more structured college football system, which could come out of recent NCAA lawsuits, could benefit Clemson.

"I'm curious to see if it comes back around for Clemson," McGee said. "If we're in a world where contracts are signed and we're in a world where guys can't just walk out the door as quickly as they're doing right now -- then maybe it leans back into the guys staying for three, or four or some cases five years because that's the model. To me that's all culture is...When I have 100 guys, I need help. And that's why my coaching staff is so big, but the coaching staff can only do so much, and it's about those older guys in the room."

Davis later expounded on his opinion of Swinney and the transfer portal.

"Let me point out something here, too. Now, because I’m defending Dabo and his approach, I do not think – and I do think sometimes he is predisposed to digging his heels in for the sake of digging his heels in. Should not do that," Davis said. "I’m not saying they should never take a transfer. I’m not saying he shouldn’t look to the portal. In fact, I think he should. But I think this whole idea that the game has passed him by and he doesn’t know what he’s doing and all of this stuff – that’s what has gotten under my skin about it.

"Now, if he’s going to dig in and say, ‘Well, I’m going to develop that 218-pound tackle, I’m going to make him a 270-pound tackle over three years, and I’m not taking All-American X from wherever that wants to come to Clemson’ – and I don’t think he’s doing that. I’m not talking about that. I’m not talking about stubbornly digging your heels in for the sake of doing it. I’m talking about feeling like ‘I’ve got to replace everybody, I can’t trust Hunter Renfrow because he was a zero-star and he weighed 135 pounds when he came on campus, I’ve got to go get an Ohio State transfer that didn’t play as much.’ That’s what I’m talking about.

"But it’ll be a pretty fascinating thing to watch for sure."