Good news for Clemson Tigers: He is back again..

“I think there’s going to be a complete blowup … especially in football, and there needs to be,” Swinney stated to ESPN. “I believe there will eventually be a split and a new division.

You currently have everyone in one group, which is impractical. Middle Tennessee and Alabama have different issues, yet we’re attempting to treat them equally when that’s simply not how it works. Here are the rules, and I believe there will be a commissioner and forty or fifty teams.”

In the new world of the transfer portal and name, image, and likeness, where college athletics continue to grow, Swinney said the present system is a “mess” and that it’s difficult to do anything.

You really can’t get anything done quickly because of all the red tape. It’s annoying,” Swinney remarked. “The guidelines are out of current, and there is poor communication. Once more, there are a lot of benefits associated with the scholarships. However, with so many individuals voting on issues, the results are just not comparable.”

While Swinney made clear that he is not opposed to NIL, he is steadfastly opposed to anything that gets close to pay-for-play and professionalizes collegiate athletics.

Swinney declared, “I oppose anything that diminishes the value of education.” That’s what I object to. Anything that encourages education has my support. I’ve always said that I’m against the professionalism of college athletics, and I really am, so people will come after me. Youngsters are unaware of their ignorance. If you professionalize college athletics, it’s a slippery slope since you’ll have salaries, taxes, and the ability to fire students instantly. In addition, students will be responsible for covering all other living expenses and tuition.

“It would be an easy sell to athletic directors. They would have financial savings.”

Entering his 14th season as head coach at Clemson, Swinney stated that while it’s beneficial for players to profit from their name, image, and likeness once they enroll in college and have a “platform,” it’s absurd to believe that the current NIL regulations won’t be utilized as a recruiting tool.

“There are no guidelines, rules, or anything at all,” stated Swinney. It has gotten out of hand. It can’t last. The children will ultimately bear the brunt of this complete catastrophe and train wreck. Many young people will wind up without degrees and make poor judgments because of this.”

According to Swinney, until the Tigers need to fill a roster spot, Clemson won’t actively use the transfer portal. He stated, for instance, that in May the Tigers will try to sign an offensive lineman.

“My transfer portal is right there in that locker room because if I’m constantly going out every year and adding guys from the transfer portal, I’m telling all those guys in that locker room that I don’t believe in them, that I don’t think they can play,” stated Swinney. “We’re also not doing our job as coaches and recruiters if we’re bringing in a bunch of transfers.”

At Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Clemson will play its yearly spring game.

After a 4-3 start the previous season, the Tigers won 10 games, but after making six consecutive appearances in the College Football Playoff, they were not selected. After concluding the previous season with nine touchdown passes and ten interceptions, quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei has lost more than twenty pounds.

“We need to improve our behavior around D.J.,” Swinney stated. “All rookie quarterbacks make mistakes, but because we weren’t the best surrounding him, his mistakes were more noticeable. We need to treat him better. He needs to and already is better. He has changed the composition of his body (going from 260 to 240 pounds) and is committed to improving every day.”

The progress of rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik has also delighted Swinney. Klubnik, who is ranked as the top dual-threat quarterback in the 2022 class by ESPN, enrolled early and is currently working out in the spring.

“One of the best things for [Uiagalelei] is bringing in Cade Klubnik,” stated Swinney. “Nothing makes you better than real competition, and that’s what we’ve got this spring.”