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COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 29: Head Coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers looks on during the first half of a football game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)

The Clemson Tigers have had a unique approach to the Transfer Portal over the last few years. Dabo Swinney has not utilized it as much as coaches from other top programs. In fact, other than the service academies, they have added the fewest number of transfers since the portal became a thing.

Because of that, Swinney has endured a lot of criticism. Swinney tried to deflect that criticism by citing his record against Ohio State and Notre Dame in an interview with Greg McElroy.

“We’re 3-1 against Ohio State. We’re 4-2 against Notre Dame. Notre Dame has their own TV station, make their own rules, they print their own money. They got a money machine in the backyard.”

Dan Patrick had an issue with those comments and crushed Swinney for it.

Dan Patrick Crushes Clemson Tigers Coach Dabo Swinney

On the Dan Patrick Show, Patrick took issue with Swinney comparing his program to either Ohio State or Notre Dame at this point.

“Guess who had nine players drafted this year? Fourth, most nationally, most in the ACC, and they (Clemson) went 7-6. So, let’s be fair; you had 9 players drafted, and you won 7 games. That has nothing to do with Notre Dame or Ohio State.”

Patrick is correct that the past record that Swinney has against those teams has no bearing on the program Clemson has become at this point. In fact, they have lost 14 games in the last three years and have had one College Football Playoff appearance. That’s not good enough for that fan base.

In the 2026 recruiting class, the Clemson Tigers have the 21st-ranked class in the country. That’s strictly just the ranking based on high school recruits and doesn’t include the portal. Swinney needs to be recruiting better if he’s not going to utilize the portal at all.

The Tigers Need to Turn Things Around This Season

Swinney is starting to make some segments of the fan base want to put him on the hot seat. He has won two national championships and is one of just four active coaches who have won a title. Yet, some Clemson fans want to run him out of town.

This season, he has a tough start to the 2026 schedule. Still, a 10-2 finish is not out of the question. They still have to figure out a starting quarterback now that Cade Klubnik has moved on to the NFL. That will be the most important position battle in the Fall.

Picking the right quarterback could be the difference between an appearance in the CFP and another season that is considered a failure. Last season with Klubnik, they still were just the 72nd-ranked scoring offense in college football. Having a better offense is necessary to compete next year.

Patrick understands that, and that’s why he was critical of Swinney on his show.