Former wide receiver says he felt ‘disrespected’ at Clemson. Dabo Swinney reacts
A former Clemson wide receiver says he felt “disrespected at times” during his Tigers career and had “no clue” why he didn’t see more playing time.
Coach Dabo Swinney says there’s no bad blood.
During his early national signing day news conference on Wednesday, Swinney addressed the previous day’s news that Tigers redshirt junior wide receiver Troy Stellato intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal when it opens next Monday.
Stellato, a former four-star 2021 recruit, struggled through an injury-riddled first two years on campus before emerging as a solid contributor for the Tigers.
He had 321 receiving yards in 2023 and 264 yards through nine games in 2024 before undergoing season-ending injury. He hadn’t played in a game since Nov. 16.
Stellato, 22, said on social media that being part of Clemson was “an incredible honor, and I will forever cherish the memories, lessons and relationships I’ve built.”
He also told Rivals that three schools he’ll initially look as a transfer at are Florida, Louisville and Pittsburgh. Stellato is a native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
“He just wants a bigger role,” Swinney said. “He’s a great kid. I mean, y’all know I love the Italian Stallion (his nickname for Stellato). He’s one of my favorite dudes.”
Stellato wants to be a No. 1 or No. 2 receiver and “that’s just not where he is,” Swinney added. “He could be, and has been here or there. But with the guys we have on the roster and the guys we have coming back, he just wants a little bigger role.”
Stellato started six of 12 games in 2023 and five of nine games in 2024 before his injury. He set career highs in receiving yards in back-to-back games earlier this season with 72 yards vs. Wake Forest on Oct. 12 and 74 vs. Virginia on Oct. 19 before seeing his playing time drop from there.
Stellato generally found himself operating in the team’s second tier of receivers with Cole Turner and Adam Randall, behind the starting trio of Antonio Williams and true freshmen Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore (both of whom were highly regarded top 50 recruits).
Stellato told The Clemson Insider website after announcing his transfer decision that frustration with his role on the team was the main reason he decided to leave.
“Didn’t envision myself growing as a player here,” he told the website in a story published Tuesday night. “Felt disrespected at times and still have no clue how I was demoted after the UVA game. Finally started getting in a rhythm. There was way more out there for me and I wasn’t getting the opportunity.”
‘It is what it is’
Asked about those critical comments Wednesday, Swinney said they were out of his control and they didn’t affect his appreciation for Stellato and his time at Clemson.
“No, I don’t get involved in that,” Swinney said. “Whatever these guys feel, they feel. It is what it is. Sometimes, coaches make decisions at all levels, and you don’t always agree with those decisions. It’s just the way it is.”
Swinney also confirmed that Stellato is no longer with the team and will not travel with Clemson for this weekend’s ACC championship game against SMU in Charlotte.
Stellato, who will have two years of eligibility remaining at his next school, finishes his Clemson career with 65 catches for 600 yards and two touchdowns in 23 games (11 starts), with essentially 100% of that production coming over the past two years.
“Great kid,” Swinney. “We had a great relationship. He hasn’t done anything wrong or burned a bridge. I wanna try to help him if I can. I hate that he missed basically two and a half years and we really only got about a year and a half out of him.”
“But that kid made a lot of big plays for us. He just wants a bigger role and with the guys we have on the roster, that’s hard. It is what it is.”
This story was originally published December 4, 2024 at 5:02 PM.
