Kirby Smart defends Dabo Swinney, ‘I’m like Dabo’

Dabo Swinney’s stance on transfer portal recruiting has sparked debate, with critics questioning his strategy.

Despite efforts to recruit offensive linemen from the portal after last season, Clemson missed out on every target. This leaves Clemson as the only Power-4 program without a transfer addition for the 2024 season.

As the season opener approaches, featuring No. 1 Georgia against No. 14 Clemson, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart weighed in on Swinney’s approach.

“Yeah I think that’s much ado about nothing,” Smart remarked. “You have who you have, right? So in the spring you have I’m going to guess 90, 95 percent of your roster. You might pick up some after that. I think everybody makes a big deal about that.”

Smart, known for effectively using the transfer portal, doesn’t see it as a solution for rebuilding his roster. He shares Swinney’s preference for focusing on high school talent and player development.

“I’m like Dabo. If I could keep my entire roster my roster, I’d be all for keeping my roster my roster,” Smart said. “I believe in the kids we sign, I believe in the kids we recruit. I want to grow them to get better. It’s not realistic to think you’re going to keep all your players right now. What is realistic you need to be operating with as much depth as possible, and it’s made it tougher to do that.”

Swinney remains one of the top coaches in college football and a coach many want to play for.