Texas transfer DB throws dirt on Clemson, Dabo Swinney after his departure

College football players transfer all the time. Get used to it. We are not going backwards in the wonderful world of NIL and the captivating transfer portal. While some players turn at the first sign of adversity, Andrew Mukuba really gave it the old college try while he was playing with Clemson. He opted to transfer to Texas to play for Steve Sarkisian this fall after having played for Dabo Swinney.

During a recent episode of Behind The Facemask, Mukuba unpacked why he ultimately decided to leave one College Football Playoff contender for another this offseason. Mukuba had played for the Tigers the three previous seasons, having had varying levels of success. Unfortunately, he went on to cite a lack of player development as a huge reason he decided to leave Clemson for Texas in the end.

This first quote from Mukuba feels like a real indictment of the Clemson program under Swinney.

"My time at Clemson, I felt like I wasn't really getting better," said Mukuba, h/t Clemson 247. "I wasn't being pushed enough to where I could reach my potential and my peak. The program wasn't where it needed to be for me and the whole team to be successful. After my junior year, I felt like it was the same thing. After that, it was only right for me to transfer."

Mukuba cited no hard feelings, but he wanted to play somewhere that was not all about Swinney.

"No coach wants to hear one of their players is going to leave, but I felt it was a conversation that needed to be had," said Mukuba. "This was my future and something that was going to affect me. I don't think they were seeing it from that perspective. It was time to make a decision for myself, and I know it was right for me. They still supported me. There's no bad blood."

He then finished by saying he picked Texas over Oregon, as Mukuba wants to win a national title.

"It was between Texas and Oregon, but I obviously committed to Texas," said Mukuba. "Everything has played to my favor. I'm looking to have a big year, and there isn't any better place to do it than in a big league like the SEC. Coach Sark is a really standup guy. He's a father figure. He cares about his players and where the program is heading. He was the coach I wanted to play for."

Here is the episode of Behind The Facemask where Mukuba discusses why he left Clemson for Texas.

Obviously, there is way more to this than Clemson losing a star safety to a playoff contender.

Andrew Mukuba discusses why he transferred from Clemson to Texas

There are a few things working against Swinney at Clemson in recent years. One, he has not been able to recruit and develop the marquee star quarterback to elevate this program beyond its natural state. Don't kid yourselves. The only other time Clemson was as good as it was a few years ago was during Danny Ford's run of dominance in the 1980s. Swinney needs more guys like Trevor Lawrence.

While Lawrence and Deshaun Watson beforehand were unbelievable college players, D.J. Uiagalelei always played slow and Cade Klubnik at times lacked any awarness in the pocket in his first year as the starter. Uiagalelei was much improved last year at Oregon State. I fully expect him to shine at Florida State this season playing for Mike Norvell. All eyes are on Klubnik to improve this season.

The three other issues with Clemson are Swinney's abhorrence for the transfer portal, coaching staff attrition and of course, Florida State returning to power in the ACC. The first is silly and will end Swinney's coaching career sooner rather than later. Get with the times or the game will pass you by. Losing elite coordinators like Tony Elliott and Brent Venables has not helped Clemson stay on top.

Yes, it was inevitable that Elliott and Venables would eventually get to lead their own teams. Jeff Scott did before, and failed, before returning to Clemson. In the wake of their absences, it has been a lot of Brandon Streeter, Wes Goodwin and Garrett Riley in Clemson. Perhaps Mukuba thought this was as far as Goodwin could take him as his coordinator? Pete Kwiatkowski is so underrated over at Texas.

To me, I see Texas as an ascending program under Steve Sarkisian, whereas I see Clemson trying to live in the past. 2015 to 2020 was a helluva time in college football. The Tigers were a fantastic team to cover during the early part of my professional writing career. Unfortunately, not only has Florida State returned to power, but regional rival Georgia has become dynastic in the new era of the sport.

All I know is Mukuba has a better chance of winning a national title this year at Texas than at Clemson.