While others have embraced the transfer portal and other aspects of college football's new realities, Swinney has held steadfast to his beliefs and the antiquated concept of program building.
The loyalty he's shown to his players is admirable. And he's remained successful enough to win 2 more ACC championships in the past 4 seasons.
But Clemson has only been to the College Football Playoff once during that stretch. And even then, just long enough to make a cameo appearance.
Two straight seasons with as many losses as the 4 years between 2915-19 combined finally convinced the Tigers coach that the time for change has finally arrived.
Better late than never.
The light came on at some point between a season-opening beatdown at the hands of Georgia and last Saturday's season-ending Playoff loss to Texas. For Clemson to stay relevant on the national stage and realistically compete for championships, Swinney needed to adjust.
That process began on Dec. 16 when Southeast Missouri State wide receiver Tristan Smith announced on his social media account that he is joining the Tigers for his final season of eligibility. Three days later, Purdue edge rusher Will Heldt also committed to Clemson.
They are the first 2 non-quarterback scholarship players to transfer into the program during the portal era. And those 2 quarterbacks, deep reserves Hunter Johnson in 2022 and Paul Tyson in 2023, combined threw only 10 passes between them in orange and white. The Tigers were the only FBS team in the country other than the service academies to not take in any transfers in 2024.
Smith and Heldt aren't the kind of pickups that would normally generate headlines, although Heldt is the No. 3 defensive end in the portal according to ESPN's transfer rankings. Their commitments are major news more because of what they represent than who they are.
They're essentially an admission by Swinney that the landscape has changed. And that he has no choice but to change with it.
Or get left behind.
"We've got to improve everywhere if we want to get to the top," he said after the 38-24 loss to the Longhorns. "(We're) good enough to get to the Playoff. Good enough to win the league. (But) not good enough to win it all."
It's an admission that couldn't have been easy for Swinney to utter.
The truth really does hurt.
Especially since deep down in his heart, he had to realize that change was inevitable and he would eventually have to adapt or get left behind. One can only imagine how different things might be now had Swinney embraced the portal 4 seasons ago instead of waiting until signs of that decline began to show.
He could easily have sped the development of 5-star quarterback Cade Klubnik by adding some talented veterans to a receiving corps that was anything but elite until the arrival of freshmen Bryant Wesco Jr. and TJ Moore this season.
And the Tigers would have at least stood a better chance against Texas last week had they been able to generate even a semblance of a ground game in the absence of injured 1,000-yard rusher Phil Mafah, It's a problem that could have been addressed had Swinney added some needed depth behind Mafah by bringing in a capable backup for depth.
Now that the ice has been broken and Clemson has finally entered the portal era, it's up to Swinney to decide how he wants to use his new-found tool.
If there's one lesson he can learn from the experience of others, it's that the free-agent market can be a volatile place. For every program that has benefitted from an influx of transfers, there are just as many that have flamed out because they swung and missed on the players they brought in.
Just ask Florida State's Mike Norvell. His program has experienced both extremes over the past 2 seasons.
The most successful coaches have gone the transfer route judiciously rather than attempting to retool their entire roster every season.
That's the blueprint Swinney should follow.
He doesn't have to sell his soul by going all-in on the portal or by taking in every stray he can find in an attempt to return his Tigers to national prominence.
He'd be wise to follow the example of Georgia's Kirby Smart, Texas' Steve Sarkisian and others by continuing to rely on and staying loyal to the players he recruits while adding only enough outsiders to fill holes or upgrade areas in need of improvement. And by making sure that the transfers he does accept fit the culture he's worked so hard to create and maintain.
Swinney has already proven that he has enough talent on hand to win an ACC championship and get to the Playoff. The next step, now that he's finally joined the rest of college football and embraced the portal concept, is finding the right pieces to put Clemson over the top.