Clemson Tiger’s Dabo Swinney Harsh Words for Transfer: ‘Wasn’t Serious About Being Great’
The Clemson Tigers have not used the Transfer Portal as much as other programs. Of the programs in major college football, they have used it the least. Dabo Swinney has preferred to use traditional high school recruiting to build his program.
Those results have not worked out well for Swinney. The Tigers finished the 2025 season 7-6 after they were a preseason top-five team in the polls. Swinney has now started using the portal more and has started welcoming more players into the program than before.
Swinney recently talked about one of the players he brought in from the portal, Chris Johnson Jr. He told the media he had some harsh words for him early on.
Clemson Tigers’ Dabo Swinney Hard Harsh Words for Transfer Player
While talking to the media, Swinney revealed that he didn’t think Johnson Jr. was a serious player.
“When I first met him, I told him, I said, ‘You don’t look like a guy that’s serious about college. I’m just being honest with you. You don’t look like a guy whose been in college a couple of years. You look like a guy who ain’t been serious about being great.’ Because he didn’t look like a guy who had been in a weight program.”
Johnson Jr. is a running back who transferred in from SMU, whom the Tigers beat in the College Football Playoff in 2024. He was at Miami for his first two seasons. Swinney wasn’t impressed with how he came into Clemson’s program. However, he says he gives Johnson Jr. credit for the work he’s put in so far.
“I’ve been very encouraged with him. He’s what we thought he’d be. He’s explosive, he’s fast, great ball skills. He’s a guy that we can use in a lot of ways. But, he’s really bought in. I think he realizes that for him to be the best version of himself, he holistically has to be the best version of himself. He can’t just be a fast guy.”
The Clemson Tigers Have a Brutal Schedule in 2026
The Tigers have a very tough road to get back to the College Football Playoff in 2026. They open up against LSU once again. They also take on Miami, North Carolina, and South Carolina. It’s going to be a tough schedule to navigate in a much tougher ACC.
Clemson only had the 21st-ranked recruiting class in the country for 2026. Swinney is starting to get questions from his own fans about his ability to coach the team in the NIL era. It’s no secret that he has struggled to adjust to the new rules in college football.
