The Clemson football program has developed into a powerhouse during the Dabo Swinney era, with the Tigers becoming one of the top recruiting schools in the country during that time.
While Clemson hasn’t had a top 5 class in some years, the Tigers always recruit in the top 15 and have hit on some big time recruits. Even if their classes aren’t ranked as high as previous years, the 2023 class is an excellent example of why those rankings don’t matter as much as some may think, with that class performing among the top in the country.
Recently, the Athletic released their annual article ranking teams by potential recruiting prowess ($$$), with Clemson dropping from No. 8 to No. 14.
Clemson had a bit of an identity crisis in 2023, but Dabo Swinney continues to compete with SEC schools on the recruiting trail. As long as he can convince recruits to ignore what his critics say about his thoughts around NIL and the transfer portal, Swinney should have a seat at the table with any player he wants. Despite the program’s recent struggles, this era of recruits still grew up watching Swinney and the Tigers dominate the sport.
What I find interesting about this is the lack of acknowledgement of Clemson’s 2025 class and how that’s building. It is currently a consensus top 5 class, with most having the Tigers top 3. Even if it’s early, the Tigers have some huge names remaining on their board and a crystal ball prediction to land the No. 2 overall player in the class.
This feels a little low for Swinney’s program, but the 2025 class should fix that.