Ex-Clemson Player Blasts Program For Not Being ‘Where It Needed To Be’

Former Clemson Tigers safety Andrew Mukuba broke his silence on his decision to transfer to his home-state Texas Longhorns this offseason.

Mukuba's initial decision to enter the transfer portal was a shock, as the three-year starter was expected to be a pivotal piece of Dabo Swinney's Tigers in 2024.

The former four-star prospect earned Freshman All-American honors and was named ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021. He was the first freshman defensive back to start a Clemson season opener since 1972. Mukuba (6-foot, 185 pounds) started 10 games that season and went on to log 21 starts over the last two seasons before deciding to play elsewhere.

The Austin, Texas native spoke candidly about why he left Clemson for his final season.

"My time at Clemson, I felt like I wasn't really getting better," Mukuba said on Behind The Facemask . "I wasn't being pushed enough to where I could reach my potential and my peak. The program wasn't where it needed to be for me and the whole team to be successful. After my junior year, I felt like it was the same thing. After that, it was only right for me to transfer."

The Longhorns are the beneficiary here, landing one of the top players out of the portal. Mukuba, who has 143 career tackles to his name, is projected as a starter for AP No. 4 Texas as it enters the season.

Clemson's expectations aren't as lofty, but there is certainly a spotlight that isn't going away anytime soon.

The Tigers didn't perform up to expectations under Swinney in 2023. Clemson sat at  4-4 at the midway point before logging five straight wins to cap off the season. Despite the winning streak, which included a comeback win over Kentucky in the Gator Bowl, Swinney has drawn a lot of criticism for the direction of the program.

The Tigers won two national championships in the span of three seasons from 2016-2018 and made six-straight College Football Playoff appearances from 2015-2021. Clemson won seven of eight ACC Championships from 2015-2022.

The Tigers' 9-4 season in 2023 snapped a streak of 12 straight seasons of 10 wins or more under Swinney.

The majority of criticism surrounding the program is centered around the lack of transfer portal efforts. Clemson became the only non-military program to not sign a single transfer in the 2024 cycle.

But Swinney doubled down this spring when asked about his unique approach.

"Most of the guys in the portal aren't good enough to play for us," Swinney said at ACC spring meetings. "That's just the reality of it… The majority of guys — they're guys that are in the portal because they want to have a chance to start somewhere... They're not good enough to come in and play for us."

That's a bold statement from the 16th-year head coach, one that can only be backed up by wins on the field moving forward.

Clemson will face a monumental test in its first game of the upcoming season, a neutral site matchup against AP No. 1 Georgia. Kickoff from Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium is set for Aug. 31 at noon ET (ABC).