Notebook: Tigers physically beat down Gamecocks, portal in play for the Tigers

Clemson specialists celebrate in front of the South Carolina train. (Photo by Merrell Mann).

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu Nov 30 07:00:05 GMT-04:00 2023

You just thought this was going to be a quiet week.

Or maybe you didn’t. There is no doubt that we are all sort of used to preparing for the ACC Championship Game during this time, but we knew weeks ago that the Tigers weren’t going to be in Charlotte unless it’s for a bowl game.

It’s been anything but quiet, and it’s about to get even louder. There is a lot to unpack, so let’s get started.

*I will start by looking back at the win over South Carolina Saturday night. If you watched it, you know it was a physical mismatch, and if you don’t believe me, then look at the video the social media team released last night.

Order restored. pic.twitter.com/CtEjfqaEOI
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) November 30, 2023

Once the game was over, we took the elevators down to the lower level and waited for the team to come out of the locker room. I stood in the same spot where, ten years earlier, a despondent Robbie Caldwell sat on a chair outside of the coaches’ locker room mulling another loss in the series. Caldwell kept saying the game was there for the taking, that Clemson should have won, and that he couldn’t believe it was a loss.

A lot has happened in the last decade, almost all of it good for Clemson and not much for South Carolina. As the strains of Queen’s “We Are the Champions” echoed in and out of the tunnel underneath Williams-Brice Stadium, the quarterbacks and specialists poured out of the locker room toting the Palmetto Bowl Trophy for an impromptu photo session on the field and with the train.

They were about two minutes into the photo op when security came running over and told them to leave, that the gates were closing, and they would be locked inside if they didn’t vacate the field immediately. The quarterbacks didn’t listen and immediately headed for The Cockpit, the student section, for their own round of photos.

It was that kind of night in Columbia.

*Of course, the attention immediately turned to the transfer portal. I’ve been told for weeks that the Tigers would look to fill a few needs in key spots – it’s not like Colorado or FSU, where an entire roster has to be replaced. That doesn’t mean adding a Hunter Johnson or Paul Tyson for a veteran presence. It means adding people the coaches think can come in and play. That means offensive line, perhaps a wide receiver, a defensive end, or a linebacker.

One thing to keep in mind is this: I’ve been told that the offensive linemen they are looking for are sophomores, not the one-and-done variety. Head coach Dabo Swinney still wants this to be a developmental program, so they want players who will be here a few years.

And sure enough, the first offer is to a sophomore Division II lineman named Alan Herron. The portal opens for all of college football on Dec. 4, but graduate transfers, players from the Ivy League, and non-Division I players can enter the portal beforehand. The 6-foot-6, 310-pound Herron had already landed more than 20 scholarship offers going into Wednesday, including Louisville, Kansas, Virginia Tech, Marshall, Texas Tech and Houston, and he then announced offers from NC State, Auburn, Miami and Penn State after Clemson's.

Could there be more attrition than what we’ve already heard? Barrett Carter, Will Shipley, and Andrew Mukuba are three that come to mind when it comes to dealing with the NFL Draft. I’ve been told Carter is still making up his mind, and I don’t have any definitive word on Shipley. I wouldn’t be shocked if Mukuba entered the draft.

And after hearing what Swinney told his team about 30 days ago – that they had 25 days to show why they deserve to be here next season – you can probably expect a little more attrition in regards to the portal.

*I talked to someone earlier this week and we were discussing the defensive players that no one has seen yet – like AJ Hoffler and David Ojiegbe and Stephiylan Green. But the name that always stands out is Vic Burley. They expect him to play a lot next season and not just contribute – they expect him to have an impact.