Will Clemson football add players after major NCAA court ruling? What Dabo said

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney had a short and sweet response when asked about potentially adding any more players to his football roster this month.

“No,” he said on Thursday. “Our roster’s set.”

Swinney and the Tigers opened fall camp a week after a major ruling by a Colorado judge in the case Wisne v. NCAA opened the floodgates for hundreds of Class of 2022 college athletes, including football players, to look into playing fifth years.

The Wisne lawsuit was one of dozens filed by former class of 2022 athletes arguing they’d been unfairly excluded from the NCAA’s new “5 for 5” eligibility system.

The judge in the Wisne v. NCAA case granted a class action certification and a preliminary injunction that makes all class of 2022 athletes whose eligibility previously expired eligible for a fifth year, with minor exceptions.

A number of notable programs have already taken advantage of the ruling. Reigning national champion Indiana football has brought back two players for a fifth year, and Arizona basketball signed former Clemson forward RJ Godfrey.

Texas brought back fifth-year offensive lineman Cole Hutson, who participated in two NFL rookie minicamps after going undrafted but didn’t sign a pro contract.

South Carolina football has had “some discussions” about the ruling’s impact, coach Shane Beamer said Thursday, though nothing was imminent.

Swinney said he doesn’t anticipate Clemson utilizing the court ruling to add back any former Tigers whose eligibility expired, or to pursue any newly available players in the transfer portal (a trickier and more legally murky process).

The Tigers open the season on Saturday, Sept. 5 at LSU (7:30 p.m., ABC).

“I mean, we’re getting ready to play in 30 days,” Swinney said. “Ain’t nobody coming in here to save us. We’ve got what we’ve got. We’ve gotta get ready.”

One reason why Swinney and Clemson may not be keen on re-adding former players to their 2026 roster? They don’t have anyone who fits the court ruling’s designation.

The judge in the Wisne case has emphasized that her injunction only applies to one specific group: NCAA athletes who started competition in the 2022-23 athletic year, completed four years of eligibility in the 2025-26 athletic year and are currently barred from playing a fifth year in 2026-27 under NCAA rules.

Clemson football only had five players who enrolled in 2022 and played four years without redshirting. All five of them are currently on NFL rosters.

Senior quarterback Cade Klubnik (Jets), offensive tackle Blake Miller (Lions), linebacker Wade Woodaz (Texans) and running back Adam Randall (Ravens) were all drafted in April and have signed NFL rookie contracts.

Senior cornerback Jeadyn Lukus went undrafted, but he signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent and recently joined the Browns after being waived by Tennessee. Those moves indicate Lukus has enough NFL buzz to hang around the league as at least a practice squad player this year.

Of course, Clemson could pursue fifth-year players who competed at other schools last season. But that would be a shakier process. Even after the Colorado ruling, there are lingering questions about whether players who hadn’t already entered the transfer portal in the NCAA’s designated windows can play elsewhere in 2026.

Other Clemson programs, including men’s basketball, women’s basketball and baseball, could wind up benefiting from the Colorado court injunction.

But Swinney said Clemson football — which already signed a record 12 scholarship transfer/junior college players this offseason — is focused on its current roster.

“These guys have really bought in to how we do thing here at Clemson,” Swinney said. “I’m really proud of them. Look forward to getting on the field.”

This story was originally published August 7, 2026 at 12:56 PM with the headline “Will Clemson football add players after major NCAA court ruling? What Dabo said.”