Dabo Swinney has always seemed to have the magic touch when it comes to roster retention.

While Clemson tends to lose several players to the portal every year, a large majority are guys that have been in reserve roles and are looking for better opportunities when it comes to playing time. Obviously, there has been an exception or two, with Andrew Mukuba being the most notable. Mukuba transferred to Texas after last season.

This year, Swinney might have done his best job to date. The Tigers only saw five players enter the portal before it closed Saturday at midnight and one of those was a walk-on receiver.

Troy Stellato was the most notable. While Stellato did start five games this season, most of those came in the first half of the season, before freshmen TJ Moore and Bryant Wesco took over the starting roles permanently.

DE AJ Hoffler, S Sherrod Covil and WR Noble Johnson were the other scholarship players to enter, as did walk-on WR Jackson Crosby.

At the end of the day, only losing five to the portal is a testament to just how dedicated Swinney is to retaining his key players. It would be naive to think guys like TJ Parker, Peter Woods, Antonio Williams and even Cade Klubnik didn’t have substantial offers on the table from other schools. Add those two freshmen wideouts, Moore and Wesco, to that list as well.

Just a few short weeks ago, Swinney said the revenue-sharing model that is expected to start in July would be a game-changer for Clemson and it looks like he was spot on. However, retaining all these players is also evidence that the Tigers had what they needed from an NIL standpoint.

At the same time, it might also be a little naive to think at least a few of these players didn’t have better offers from other schools. It just goes to show how important it is that Clemson is able to make competitive offers. With everything else it has to offer, including a culture that most of these players love, the Tigers don’t have to outspend everyone. They just need to be competitive in the market.

Looking at what some of these other schools have lost to the portal only emphasizes how impressive what Swinney and Clemson were able to do.

ACC rival Florida State has lost more than 20 players to the portal after its disastrous season. Louisville is also over the 20 mark. North Carolina and Georgia Tech have both lost at least 14, while NC State has lost more than 10. Even Duke has lost more than half a dozen.

SMU is one of the very few to lose less than the Tigers, as the Mustangs have seen just four players leave via the portal.

Outside of the ACC, Auburn has lost close to 20, Alabama has lost at least 15 and South Carolina has lost more than a dozen.

Georgia is one of the anomalies so far, having lost seven without actually signing any to date.

Southern Cal has lost 19, Michigan has lost 17 and Ohio State eight.

It’s also worth noting that some of these schools could still lose more. There is a five-day window for players to enter after their team’s final postseason game.

This past week has proven that the Tigers can compete in this era of college football. And let’s not forget that Swinney went out and added two transfers at key spots, signing WR Tristan Smith and DE Will Heldt.

So next time Swinney starts talking about the importance of roster retention, this past week is exactly what he was talking about. Instead of seeing a couple of key contributors walk out the door, Clemson was able to keep all those stars on the roster in the fold. And again, as good as the Tigers have been at retaining players over the last few years, Swinney and his staff probably did their best job to date over the past week or so.

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A limited number of signed replica road signs from Cade Klubnik are available!  Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!