Clemson football sticks with same recruiting values, strategies through pandemic

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On Dec. 16, Dabo Swinney took a seat in front of a camera for the Zoom presser following the early National Signing Day.

The pandemic era required changes and adjustments to every facet of life, but COVID-19 didn’t hinder his effectiveness in recruiting. Swinney had picked up 18 athletes from the Class of 2021 that signed with Clemson, which included two five-star prospects in linebacker Barett Carter and running back Will Shipley in addition to 14 four-star recruits. The “pandemic posse,” as Swinney named them, put the Tigers fifth in the 247Sports Composite team recruiting standings nationally and first in the ACC for a fourth straight year.

By the time the regular signing day came around in February, the Tigers had added another five-star commit in offensive tackle Tristan Leigh and cemented their fifth-place recruiting position nationally and first in the conference.

“It never gets old seeing a young man choose Clemson, especially nowadays where our program is, where our brand is,” Swinney said on the December Zoom call. “We have a national brand. We can recruit all over the country from California to Texas to Florida, Ohio, you name it, all the way to — we’ve signed kids up in Connecticut and so forth.”

True, the Clemson brand has become more of a household name, generating more interest from high school recruits. When it comes to the recruiting process, though, interest is the only thing that’s changed. The same kinds of recruiting strategies Swinney used to bring in the Dandy Dozen, his first recruiting class in 2009, are the same procedures he uses now to attract some of the most talented players in the country 11 years later.

“I think what people learned over time and what Clemson knew when they hired him was just what a great leader he is,” said 247Sports Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong.

“People gravitate towards him and he’s got a clear message and a clear view for how things should be done, and that was powerful on the recruiting trail before people were paying attention. … With the way they’re recruiting, they’ll continue to be a program that’s in the discussion moving forward.”

Recruiting rules

It’s not uncommon for ninth graders to have college offers before even playing a snap of high school football. Now more than ever, collegiate programs are also looking to the transfer portals for potential players.

Clemson won’t do either.

The Tigers also don’t host visits for those who have committed to other programs. Similarly, once an athlete is committed to Clemson, he doesn’t take visits to other schools.

Such practices may seem like they would limit the amount of athletes a program would bring in. While the amount of offers given out pale in comparison to other big-name programs, it hasn’t stopped Clemson from bringing in some of the most talented players in the country. The Tigers are one of only three football programs that have brought in a top 10 class over the past four years, according to 247Sports. The others are Georgia and Alabama.

Of the three programs, Clemson has had the highest rate of commits over the past three years. About 21.9% of those Clemson has offered scholarships go on to commit to the school. The Crimson Tide has had about a 13.2% rate of commitment and the Bulldogs have about 5.8% of the athletes offered that commit to the program since 2018.

“Clemson’s always landed their fair share of blue-chip guys,” said 247Sports Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong. “They blend it with some guys that maybe aren’t as touted but they have skill sets that allow them to either develop into great players within their system or guys that go on to hear their names called in the NFL Draft.”

The higher rate of commitment not only has to do with a smaller number of offers, but also with how Clemson’s coaching staff has interacted with the recruits with whom they do extend the golden — or in this case, orange — ticket.

“I think their top targets, they’re able to form more genuine relationships with those young men because they’re able to spend more time with those kids,” Wiltfong said. “I think whether a kid picks Clemson or not, they know exactly what the program is and where they stand because I think that Clemson has several coaches on their staff that do a terrific job of maintaining communication with the kids that they would love to sign.”

Building relationships

Swinney had barely finished offering Robert Gunn a scholarship offer on June 12 when the Pinellas Park (Fla.) kicker accepted.

He and his father, Robert Gunn, Sr., had made the trip in an RV from Florida to Clemson that Thursday so the younger Gunn could take the unofficial visit. He and a few other kickers were brought to Memorial Stadium the next day to kick before Gunn was invited to stay for the Elite Retreat that weekend.

On the evening of June 12, Swinney asked Gunn to come to his office after the day’s activities then offered Gunn the scholarship.

“Not even (five seconds),” Gunn said when asked how long it took him to accept. “Like, two. … I was like, ‘Coach, I’m all in. I want to be a Tiger.’”

Up until the unofficial visit a couple of weeks ago, he’d only seen Clemson games and Death Valley on television. Being in the environment was a feeling he couldn’t explain. He knew it was the right fit for him.

But before experiencing Clemson, he experienced Bill Spiers. The Tigers’ director of recruiting first took an interest in Gunn before his junior season last year. Spiers would check in about once a month to see how Gunn was doing both as a football player and a teenager.

The two found a common interest in fishing and would often send pictures of bass they caught back and forth.

“It just shows how much they care about you, how interested they are in you,” Gunn said. “They’re not just like a robot, per se, just all business and recruiting. They just want to actually build a relationship with you and get to know you.”

Prior to Gunn’s trip to Clemson, he had visited the University of Texas with trips planned to check out Florida, Georgia and Florida State but canceled them “because I knew Clemson was the one.”

The Tigers’ ability to connect with recruits also played a big part in getting Austin Westlake (Texas) quarterback Cade Klubnik. Even though he wasn’t the program’s first option, Clemson’s coaching staff kept in touch and remained transparent with Klubnik. Top target Ty Simpson ended up committing to Alabama, which bumped Klubnik, who was also at the Clemson Elite Retreat a couple of weeks ago, up to being the quarterback of Clemson’s eye.

The rising senior signal caller went ahead and took the offer, announcing his decision to become a Tiger via an Instagram video on March 2.

“I would say they recruited me harder than anybody when it came to staying in contact, just staying in touch with me and building a relationship,” Klubnik said during an interview at the Rivals Five-Star Challenge on June 16. “I would say they did the best job out of anybody. They definitely went out of their way to do it. Once they offered me, I just felt in my heart this is kind of the place I need to be, the place I’m called to go.

If it’s not broke

As of Tuesday, Clemson has extended 70 offers to athletes from the Class of 2022 with seven, including Gunn and Klubnik, having already committed.

The group puts Clemson 23rd in the national recruiting standings with plenty of time to get back in the top 10 for a fifth consecutive year. Cornerback Denver Harris, Keon Sabb, listed as an athlete, edge Jeremiah Alexander as well as defensive linemen Walter Nolen, Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, Shemar Stewart and Travis Shaw are all five-star recruits that have been offered by Clemson and have yet to commit anywhere.

Due to the ever-changing nature of the world and technology, some tweaks and adjustments will have to be made to the recruiting landscape, just as they have in the last few years thanks to social media. At the foundation, though, Swinney and Co. will remain true to the basic values and strategies that have been so successful over the years, even if it wasn’t apparent to those on the outside right away.

“I would imagine they haven’t strayed too far from their core values that have put them in this position to be a national title contender each year,” Wiltfong said. “They have always recruited talented players that have fit their culture. They’ve always recruited high-upside young men that buy into what they’re doing there. With that, we’ve seen the results. Now, people are just paying closer attention.”