Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program have been a major talking point in college football since their inception. Defeat 28-7 at Duke in their 2023 season opener.
No matter how you slice it, the Tigers didn’t have to lose this game, but they did. They were flat, played without energy and played sloppy football missing the first game of the season.
Fox Sports senior college football analyst Joel Klatt shared his thoughts on what happened with Clemson. For Klatt, there is clearly a staffing problem for the program.
“The fact remains that they have not recruited at the same level,” the analyst said. “Alright, there are a lot of factors to this. Right now their staff is not where it should be on the field. They haven’t acquired or developed the talent necessary to play at the upper echelons of college football – because that’s what’s expected, right? For Clemson, I think so, especially if you have a track record of two national titles since 2015 and six straight playoff runs from 2015 to 2020. That’s what we expect.
Much of Klatt’s problems come from Swinney himself. His lack of adjustment holds the Tigers back, as the program refuses to adjust because of Swinney’s principles.
“I think it’s painfully clear that Clemson has failed to adapt on and off the field. Dabo is unapologetically against NIL and the transfer portal. Completely against it. I won’t accept it. He’s been so publicly against it that it’s going to end up hurting him, because the fan base, if you’re a Clemson fan, you’re like, “Wait, you can’t play Monopoly and you decided yourself that you “I won’t buy any house on property you own because you don’t think it’s fair.” So everyone is buying houses. You are going to lose. There is no other solution.
We avoided it for a while, but at some point reality has to set in. Klatt doesn’t spit here. In many ways he is right.
Look at what Florida State has done and is doing. Keon Coleman went from being fourth on Michigan State in targets to looking like one of the best wide receivers in the country during the Seminoles’ huge Week 1 win over LSU.
Changes must be made before it is too late.
“You’re going to lose. It’s really a fundamental proposition, and we’ve seen it time and time again in college football history.
Here’s a full look at what Klatt had to say.
“I think it’s clear, unfortunately, that Clemson has failed to adapt on and off the field.”@JoelKlatt explains why Clemson fell from the top of elite college football programs ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/iHOHhoY6aP
– The Joel Klatt Show: a CFB module (@JoelKlattShow) September 6, 2023
