Saturday’s Week 1 matchup between No. 1 Georgia and No. 14 Clemson was thought to be the best game of the weekend. For a half it looked like that way, with the Bulldogs leading 6-0 after 30 minutes. Following some halftime adjustments, the Bulldogs, led by head coach Kirby Smart, ran away from the Dabo Sweeney-led Tigers winning 34-3 in convincing fashion.
Not many expected the Tigers to pull the upset, but to get manhandled the way they did is definitely a cause for concern. One of the many glaring weaknesses of the Tigers is in their skill positions. Once known for players like Tee Higgins (Bengals), DeAndre Hopkins (Texans), Travis Etienne (Jaguars), and Deshaun Watson (Browns), to name a few, those types of players aren’t making their way to Clemson anymore. Former NFL wide receiver Roddy White, who enjoyed a wonderful career playing for the Atlanta Falcons, noticed the difference in talent in Saturday’s game and made mention of it.
White Uses Race Card To Define New Look Tigers
After watching the Tigers struggle all game to make plays and tallying just 188 total yards (142 passing), White didn’t hold back when he took to X to discuss the game:
“Clemson got way to many white dudes on the field on offense this ain’t them. U mean to tell me u only got one Black dude out there making plays that’s a recruiting problem.”
What White is saying was pretty obvious, and unless you’re the Patriots with Tom Brady who played many white guys at the skilled positions that just isn’t the norm in big time college football.
White saying it’s a recruiting issue is also not a lie, the Tigers looked slow and unathletic compared to the Bulldogs team that might be the most athletic team in the country. The blame lies directly on the aforementioned Sweeney, whose refusal to change with the times has hurt his once booming program.
Lack Of Transfer Portal Usage Killing Tigers
The new era of college football features the transfer portal and NIL. If coaches wanna compete they must be willing to dabble in both. Even legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who stepped away after 17 seasons because he couldn’t deal with all the changes and how they were leveling the playing field, tapped into both. But Sweeney, who beat Saban in the CFP title game in 2016 and 2018, has refused to use the portal.
In fact, Clemson is only one of four programs in all of Division I football to not add a single transfer, joining Army, Navy and Air Force. Sweeney’s arrogance and stubbornness has some fans questioning him as the answer going forward, but that doesn’t seem to bother him one bit. In his postgame interview he told reporters, “We make our decisions year in, year out on what’s best for Clemson or what’s best for that roster.”
Sweeney Brags Different
Prior to Saturday’s game in an on-field interview with ESPN’s “College GameDay,” Sweeney continuously bragged about the offers that came his way in the offseason to leave Clemson.
If he isn’t careful, boosters and alumni may figure out a way to come up with that $60 million to move on from him sooner than later.
Maybe he should take his own advice and bring in his own guns and hit the portal for some upgraded talent.