What to know about Dabo Swinney's record 15 Clemson football midyear enrollees

Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney will welcome 15 midyear enrollees when the Tigers kick off spring practice in a little more than a month.

That number represents an all-time high for the program and includes 11 players rated 4- or 5-star prospects by the 247Sports Composite.

Four defensive linemen are among the early arrivals, which could help rebuild a defensive front that lost three starters in Bryan Bresee, Myles Murphy and K.J Henry.

Here are five things to know about Clemson’s latest group of early arrivals:

Jamal Anderson has strong bloodline

Does Jamal Anderson sound familiar? It should. Anderson is the son of former Atlanta Falcons running back Jamal Anderson, who played for eight years in the NFL, logged four 1,000-yard seasons and earned first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in 1998.

The younger Anderson is a versatile player from Buford, Georgia, who helped Mill Creek to a state title last season by recording 56 tackles as a linebacker and 12 receptions for 172 yards as a tight end.

A “Bear” Bryant connection

One of Clemson’s early enrollees is quarterback Paul Tyson, who may be a newcomer to the program, but is far from a freshman. The 22-year-old Tyson, a great-grandson of legendary Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, played three seasons at Alabama before transferring to Arizona State prior to the 2022 season.

A former standout at Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.) High, where he passed for more than 6,500 yards and 69 touchdowns, Tyson has seen limited time in college but is expected to replace Hunter Johnson as a veteran voice in the quarterback room.

Dabo Swinney mining talent from Alabama

Tyson is one of four midyear enrollees from Swinney’s home state of Alabama. The list also includes quarterback Chris Vizzina, defensive lineman Tomarrion Parker and Peter Woods, the latter of whom is Clemson’s lone five-star signee in the class.

Parker is from Central High in Phenix City, Alabama, which has produced recent Clemson players Justyn Ross, Ray Thornton and E.J. Williams as well as current safety Caleb Nix.

Clemson has signed at least four players from Alabama in consecutive years for the first time since at least 1972.

Vic Burley could be bullish early

Vic Burley of Warner Robins, Georgia, could have an impact on Clemson’s defensive front sooner rather than later.

The 6-foot-5, 276-pound Burley, who is a cousin of Clemson defensive run game coordinator and defensive tackles coach Nick Eason, posted impressive numbers in his 47-game high school career, including 188 tackles, 55 tackles for loss, 22 sacks and 138 quarterback hurries.

Seven early arrivals from Georgia

Georgia continues to be a hotbed for Clemson recruiting, so it’s not surprising that seven of the Tigers’ mid-year enrollees are from the Peach State.

Eleven of Clemson’s 26 signees in the class of 2023 are from Georgia, which is the most since 1985, when the Tigers also signed 11 Georgia products. It marks the fourth time in the last five years that Georgia has produced more players than any other state in Clemson’s recruiting class.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dabo Swinney: Clemson football midyear enrollees from Georgia, Alabama