The Clemson Tigers could be in for a rough NCAA transfer portal period this year.
Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers are down to their final two games of the season. After starting off the year as an expected national championship contender, nothing has gone right for the team.
Thankfully, Clemson was able to become bowl eligible last week after defeating Furman. With that win, the Tigers now hold a 6-5 record entering the final week of the season against the rival South Carolina Gamecocks.
Unfortunately, with such a disappointing season, bad things can happen.
Heading into the offseason, Clemson will need to be prepared for a potential departure from players. Whether those players are commits or current players, the Tigers could be in line to lose some talent.
According to a report from Robert MacRae of The Clemson Insider, the program is preparing for the realistic possibility that it could lose some key players to the transfer portal.
"As you already know, former Clemson corner Shelton Lewis has already left the team and plans to enter the transfer portal on Jan. 2. We can tell you he will not be the only one," MacRae wrote. "Clemson is expecting several current players to follow Lewis’ lead. Some of those names might surprise you."
While there were no names dropped in the report, it would be worth expecting some key players who played significant roles reconsidering their future.
Clemson has work to do to prove that it can be a national championship contender once again. Swinney has work to do to prove that he's the coach that can lead the Tigers back to glory.
Fans are not used to this kind of season. For years, Clemson was viewed as a top-tier championship contender year in and year out. Those days have changed.
Whether those issues come from Swinney being unable to adapt to the changes in the college football landscape or the players simply not getting the job done on the field, something has to change.
Hopefully, the offseason treats the Tigers well. A few departures would be something that could be remedied, but a massive overhaul would set the program back quite a bit.
Expect to see some changes coming for Clemson.