Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers have made a major mistake in the transfer portal.
Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney has actually decided to utilize the transfer portal for a change this winter, adding 10 players via the portal thus far.
That's double the amount of transfer additions he made between 2022 and 2025, when Swinney landed a grand total of five commitments through the portal.
But while Swinney has actually been a heck of a lot busier this offseason than in previous years, he has still made a significant blunder: he hasn't added any offensive linemen in spite of Clemson having a glaring need for them.
"However, with the Tigers losing four starting offensive linemen, including both starters at tackle, the obvious move would have been to add an offensive lineman or two, and that has not happened," wrote Jason Priester of The Clemon Insider. "There have been a handful of names linked to Clemson, all of them tackles, but all ended up elsewhere."
The transfer portal window closes on Friday. Yes, the Tigers can still add players afterward, but most of the top names are off the board by now.
"If no offensive lineman is added, that obviously means Clemson will ride with what they have on the roster, just like Swinney is planning to do at quarterback," Priester continued. "... It just feels like the Tigers, at the very least, need a tackle to line up opposite of [Brayden] Jacobs in 2026 and bridge the gap to those younger guys."
Don't get it twisted: this is a big deal.
Having a strong, cohesive offensive line is absolutely vital to success, and right now, we have a million and one questions about the trenches for Clemson.
To be fair, Swinney had to also ensure he addressed the defense after losing so many key pieces, both to the NFL Draft and the portal, so it seemed like much of his focus was on that side of the ball.
But Swinney may have dropped the ball on repairing his offensive line. Or maybe it was as simple as none of the Tigers' targets actually wanting to join the team.
Regardless, this is a major concern for Clemson entering 2026, and it could ultimately sabotage the club next fall.
The Tigers went just 7-6 this year, marking their worst finish since 2010.