Josh Pate Bashes Major College Football Program For Lack Of Transfer Additions

Clemson and head coach Dabo Swinney continue to make headlines due to Swinney's reluctance to utilize the NCAA transfer portal.

247Sports analyst Josh Pate discussed why Clemson should embrace the transfer portal on the latest edition of Late Kick Live . The Tigers are the only Power 4 team that hasn't taken a single transfer addition in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

Pate even entertained the idea of having Swinney join the show to talk about the transfer portal, agreeing that the Clemson head coach can be entitled to a way of thinking when it comes to the portal.

"I know they've got their philosophy; I've got mine too," Pate said. "So, I'm all for defining your principles and sticking to them. I think it would be a fascinating conversation to have Dabo Swinney on the show."

Pate noted that the transfer portal shouldn't be overused in college football but more as a helpful tool to fill in important holes entering the season.

"I've got a couple of different ways I think about this. ...wholistically and generically, I feel like you should never lean on the portal," Pate said. "I feel like it should be a supplemental tool for you, which is how most successful coaches are using it. I absolutely think you can define your culture any way you want to, and if it's defined the right way, there are going to be selective options for you in every portal window."

The college football analyst respects Swinney's thoughts on the portal but disagrees with the approach the Tigers have to it as a program.

ACC programs like Miami and Florida State have excelled in using the transfer portal. Ex-Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward is heading to Coral Gables, and former Oregon State and Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei is returning to the ACC to play for the Seminoles.

"Right now, the way that it's presented at Clemson is we've got our principles and values, which I respect, but they're so hard and fast that there's no addition from the portal that could ever warrant consideration from us," Pate said. "That's how it feels. ...I don’t think it is a sound approach. I just don’t… Because you compete against Miami and FSU, and they’re killing it in the portal."

After all these years, Swinney is determined to stick to his principles when it comes to the portal.

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