Dabo Swinney on NCAA Transfer Portal: ‘It’s like you’re Elvis in the wedding chapel’

Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney had an interesting comparison for using the NCAA Transfer Portal. While appearing on the ACC Network during Media Days, Swinney compared the portal to Elvis Presley and a wedding chapel. “It was crazy. Because you meet a guy at 9:30 on Monday night and get married at 11 a.m. the next day,” Dabo Swinney said. “It’s like you’re Elvis in the wedding chapel, and you hope it’s going to last forever. That was a little different.” [ $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ] Swinney is normally not active in the transfer portal. But with the team finishing 7-6 in 2025, changes needed to be made, and Clemson added 11 players through the portal. “It’s not a source for us, it’s a resource,” Swinney said about the portal. “The process was no different in that how we go about recruiting a high school kid. It’s the same as far as our criteria, the fit, what we’re looking for.” Clemson’s 2026 transfer portal class ranks No. 31. And for recruiting, the Tigers’ 2026 class ranks No. 21 and No. 4 in the ACC behind North Carolina, Florida State, and Miami. Is 2026 a defining season for Dabo Swinney? Swinney is hoping that the transfer players can help Clemson get back on track because his status with the program could be in question if things go don’t improve. On Thursday morning, ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy detailed how the 2026 season is a defining one for Swinney. “This is the year where we find out just how much he’s evolved,” McElroy said. “Let’s be real here: Dabo has not necessarily resisted the portal, but he has prioritized building from within and making sure that he retained players, recruited players, and relied almost exclusively on high school talent. But this year he took double-digit transfers. That’s a program record, still, by the way, near the bottom of college football. “I think Dabo will tell you nothing really has to change,” the college football analyst said. “The portal can still be a resource. But last year, given how many guys were sent to the NFL, they sent nine guys to the NFL Draft, five went in the first three rounds.”