Tigers celebrate a Happy New Year, but will the coming days add more excitement?

Dabo Swinney has some decisions ahead.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Jan 1, 2025, 7:00 AM

The year 2024 and the 2024 Clemson football season have all come to a close. What will the New Year bring?

First off, I want to wish everyone here on TigerNet a Happy New Year from me and my family and all of the staff at TigerNet. The old Irish adage says, "May your troubles be less, and your blessings be more, and nothing but happiness come through your door.”

What is on the horizon for the Tigers? The coaches return to the football offices on January 6th, the players return a few days later and the football banquet is scheduled for Jan. 11th.

A lot can happen between now and then, but let’s take a look at how the transfer portal window worked for the Tigers. The college football transfer portal is technically closed for most players, and more than 2,600 players entered their name in the portal, surpassing last year's previous mark.

Of course, there are exceptions that exist for those competing in the postseason, whether that be bowl games or the College Football Playoff. An additional spring window is set for 10 days, opening April 16 and closing April 25. College football teams will be limited to 105 players on the roster next season, which likely means plenty more transfer portal entries before the cycle is complete.

The Arizona Wildcats and Purdue Boilermakers led the way with 31 departures each via the portal, and Clemson was the recipient of one of the Boilermakers’ transfers, landing big-time defensive end Will Heldt. Arkansas suffered 29 portal departures, while Nebraska, Oklahoma, UCF, and Wisconsin each had 25. Florida State, which led the ACC with 23 portal entries, might as well be called Transfer U at this point.

Then there’s Clemson. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and his Tigers saw five players enter the portal in safety Sherrod Covil, defensive end A.J. Hoffler, and wide receivers Troy Stellato, Noble Johnson, and Jackson Crosby.

That’s it. That’s the list. Obviously, the spring window will be huge as players see who earned reps during the spring and who might not be on the fast track to playing time. But for now, Swinney and company have to be thrilled with how it’s worked to date.

The Tigers can still add to the roster – there are positions of need – and we will see how it all works out.

The bigger question facing the program as we head into 2025 centers on the coaching staff. I said during our Orange Crush Podcast Tuesday that I’m confident there will be a change at defensive coordinator. I wouldn’t be shocked if that’s the only change, and I most certainly wouldn’t be shocked if there are other changes.

We’ve said several times that next season has the potential to be a good one. Quarterback Cade Klubnik and all of the major pieces are back – more good news for the coaches – as we enter the college football era of one-year contracts for players. With a solid and experienced nucleus, the talent is there to make another run.

Swinney has made significant, out-of-the-program hires each of the last few off-seasons with the addition of offensive coordinator Garrett Riley two years ago and offensive line coach Matt Luke a year ago. If Swinney makes the right moves again? Look out.

That means the next week or so might be one of the most interesting – and critical – stretches of Swinney’s tenure. A new year, a familiar outlook, but perhaps a new face or two.