Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers played on Saturday in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in New York against Penn State, but the 2025 season wasn’t considered a home run for the former national title-winning coach and his program.
As Swinney watches the rest of the College Football Playoff unfold, he knows the Tigers will need to do some heavy lifting in the upcoming transfer portal if he wants his Tigers back in the hunt for a championship in 2026.
With senior quarterback Cade Klubnik ready to depart and the understudies not stealing the spotlight when given the chance, there appears to be a gaping hole under center for Swinney’s team as they head into next year.
He might be in luck, though, as this will be the most star-studded transfer portal including QBs in its short history, with over a dozen top names already declaring or expected to enter the transfer window.
A name that has been connected to Clemson since he announced his departure from his old program is former five-star recruit DJ Lagway. Swinney is a huge fan of the athletic playmaker and did his best on the recruiting trail to get him to sign with the Tigers, but Lagway ultimately decided to head to Gainesville to play for the Florida Gators.
After two years of up-and-down play, Lagway still has all the tools in the kit to be a superstar, but needs a secure system to help him develop into the future NFL first-round pick many believe him to be.
Although the Lagway connection feels undeniable, I don’t have Clemson signing Lagway.
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Instead, I believe it’ll be another quarterback with Tigers ties, but one more established and can lead Clemson back to the CFP without much development needed.
Prediction: Josh Hoover (TCU) signs with Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers
Hoover is a proven gunslinger and a pocket passer who could be an upgrade over Klubnik, who struggled this past campaign. At TCU, Hoover has thrown for 9,629 yards and 71 touchdowns in his three years as the program’s starter.
He also has a strong connection with the Clemson staff, as before joining TCU, he was set to join Tom Allen’s Indiana Hoosiers. Allen is now the defensive coordinator with the Tigers.
After flipping from Indiana, he joined TCU through recruitment by the team’s Garrett Riley, who is now Clemson’s offensive coordinator.
