No. 1 recruiting class would be first for Clemson: ‘This group’s going to be special’
Clemson’s recruiting success is now matching its success on the field.
The Tigers, winners of two of the past three national championships, are on pace to finish with the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for 2020 after getting most of their class officially inked Wednesday afternoon.
Clemson added 24 players in the early signing period and is currently No. 1 in the 247Sports Composite team rankings. Alabama is No. 2, followed by Ohio State, LSU and Georgia. Clemson has never finished with the top-ranked class in the country and has not finished in the top five under head coach Dabo Swinney.
“The lifeline of any football team or program at any level is its personnel — the staff and the players. Just super excited about what happened today. We got better,” Swinney said. “I don’t have any doubt that this group’s going to be special. I don’t know how it’ll all shake out, but this might be our first ever No. 1 class.”
The group of 24 signees is led by by six five-star prospects in defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, defensive end Myles Murphy, quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, running back Demarkcus Bowman, defensive tackle Demonte Capehart and cornerback Fred Davis.
Bresee, Murphy and Uiagalelei are listed as the top players in the country at their position, with Bresee ranked No. 1 overall and Murphy No. 3 overall.
“Maybe we’ll get our first-ever No. 1 class. I don’t know, but I think if we do it’s just a credit to the young men,” Swinney said. “It just shows first of all how our brand has grown but also it just so happens that the best players in the country this year were a great fit for Clemson and we were a great fit for them.”
Whether or not Clemson finishes No. 1 will depend on how the recruiting rankings shape up through the second signing period in February.
Clemson’s class includes 16 mid-year enrollees from 12 different states, plus receiver Ajou Ajou from Canada.
“We’ve gone international,” Swinney quipped.
The Tigers signed six offensive linemen, four defensive linemen, four defensive backs, three linebackers, two running backs, two receivers, a quarterback, a tight end and a kicker.
“It’s pretty cool when you have guys from all over the country choosing to come to Clemson. Pretty cool to see how our brand has grown,” Swinney said. “This group of 17- and 18-year-olds have grown up in this decade of Clemson football.”
There were no real surprises on signing day as the Tigers did land a commitment from four-star safety Malcolm Greene of Virginia, but it was no secret that Greene was expected to flip his commitment from LSU to Clemson.
The only other uncommitted player Clemson was in contention for was the top player in the state, Jordan Burch, who committed to South Carolina. Ajou was the only player who did not sign before 10:30 a.m., leaving little drama for the day.
“We met all of our critical needs, and that’s kind of how we go about recruiting. We’re very specific,” Swinney said. “We’re not jumping in and recruiting the portal. We’re not doing any of that. So you better be right. We’re very committed to the due diligence of getting the right people here, and I think we’ve been able to do that for sure with this group.”
This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 4:37 PM.
