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The questions, three of them, are short but open-ended:

1) What are you up to nowadays?

2) What are your thoughts on the state of Clemson Football?

3) What do you make of the current landscape of college athletics amid the transfer portal and Name, Image and Likeness?

ALSO SEE: THE CLEMSON 30: Charlie Whitehurst | THE CLEMSON 30: Tymere Zimmerman | THE CLEMSON 30: Jeff Francoeur | THE CLEMSON 30: Michael Dean Perry | THE CLEMSON 30: Da'Quan Bowers | THE CLEMSON 30: Woody Dantzler | THE CLEMSON 30: Airese Currie | THE CLEMSON 30: Kyle Young | THE CLEMSON 30: Dustin Fry | THE CLEMSON 30: Tye Hill | THE CLEMSON 30: Robert Carswell | THE CLEMSON 30: Willie Simmons | THE CLEMSON 30: Landon Walker

Tigerillustrated.com has spent the past two months tracking down 30 former Clemson football figures whose names still resonate with fans.

We will spend the better part of the next two months sharing their responses.

Today our 14th installment in THE CLEMSON 30 series features former Clemson offensive lineman Dalton Freeman.

I'm in Anderson, where I work for HMR Veterans Services. Our corporate offices are based here in Anderson. We have the honor of operating state veterans nursing homes. I'm in long-term care, mainly on the operations and employee side of things, not the clinical side. I interned with this company while I was at Clemson, and technically I've been an employee of theirs for about 10 years. So even when I was in the NFL I would come back and work on a few projects with them in the offseason. When I was transitioning out of the NFL they gave me an opportunity to come back and work with them. I accepted, and I've been very, very happy. It's an extremely rewarding career to serve those who served us.

I'll never say never to returning to athletics; my dad was in athletics, and his dad was in athletics. I've grown up around it and that's all I've really ever known. But I've thoroughly enjoyed getting away from it a little bit and seeing what else is out there, getting outside of my comfort zone and learning a new business. And as I said, there's nothing more rewarding than taking care of veterans.

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My wife and I just welcomed our son into the world right before Christmas. We just celebrated our eight-year wedding anniversary last month. We also have a three-and-a-half year-old daughter. We're very, very blessed.

I am extremely proud of Clemson and what Clemson stands for, first and foremost. I tell people all the time: It's not about the X's and O's. I truly believe that Clemson has had the success it's had because Coach Swinney cares more about the people than he does the players. He cares more about the person inside that jersey than the number on the jersey, and he has truly built that program from the inside-out.

You continue to see new academic records being set semester after semester. You look at what they've been able to do with the PAW Journey developing these young men. These guys think they're men, but they're really boys and you're turning them into men. You're turning them into great men who are going to be good fathers, good husbands and good leaders out in the community.

Since we're recruiting high-character guys that know how to play football, all the other stuff takes care of itself. Our coaching staff does a tremendous job of developing the talent. We've never had a No. 1 recruiting class, but we've won two national championships within the past few years. So the development side -- as a person, and as an athlete -- is just outstanding. And I think that's because Coach Swinney serves their hearts, not their talents.

I'm very disappointed in the direction of college football, because it will no longer be college football. I firmly believe they have to get a hold of the transfer portal and NIL, and right some of these wrongs.

FREE FORUM: House Of Politics & Off-Topics

I'm not saying you have to completely do away with these things. When my dad played at Wake Forest in the late 1970s and early 1980s, they gave them a little bit of a stipend and I believe they called it laundry money. It may be $50 a week. Obviously with inflation and 40 years, a lot has changed since then. I'm not saying it should be $50; I don't know how much it should be. I'm not opposed to them getting some cash, because these guys are working more than full-time jobs between mandatory study hall, a full course load, all the requirements that are set before them in the weight room, in the meeting rooms, on the practice field -- it's easily 50 to 60 hours a week.

So it is extremely difficult, and it is time-consuming. They don't have time to go out and get jobs and have some of these internships and other opportunities that students have. Therefore I do believe they should receive a little bit of something to put gas in their tank or food on their table.

However, it is not a professional sport. College football is college football. Their reward is a lot of meals. It's free tuition. They earn that, and they certainly deserve that. And I'm not saying they don't deserve something for all of their jersey sales and their Name, Image and Likeness. But there needs to be some sort of cap, and some sort of equality -- not just in the locker room from the walk-ons to the star players, but from university to university and program to program. If not, the schools with the most money and biggest alumni base will eventually monopolize college football.

I'm not 100-percent opposed to the portal, but I think there are some eye-opening stats out there that show there are kids who go into the portal and never end up landing anywhere. The grass is not always greener on the other side. The grass is greener where you water it. I just struggle with people transferring after they get a little unhappy or their feelings get hurt. I like the old way, and I'm not saying it needs to be exactly the old way, where you had to graduate to be able to transfer immediately.

I do think there could be a few tweaks. I think the old model was a good one, and I think they could go back to something similar to that and it would really help not only the programs and planning and roster management, but it would help the kids. Because if they get just a little bit unhappy they can hit the easy button and leave. I just disagree with that. I think you need to stick it out. I think you need to earn it. I think that teaches you a lot about life and self-discipline. I think it's not only hurting the players at the college level; it's hurting high-school recruiting as well.

Tomorrow Tigerillustrated.com will release the 15th installment of THE CLEMSON 30.

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