Georgia roots common among many top Tigers
Clemson’s three most prominent athletes entering the 2016-17 season all grew up within one hour of each other, and none of them are from South Carolina.
Deshaun Watson, the reigning ACC men’s athlete of the year and the starting quarterback on the football team, grew up in Gainesville, Ga., about 90 minutes from Clemson.
Seth Beer, the reigning ACC baseball player of the year, grew up in Suwanee, about a 45-minute drive from Gainesville.
Jaron Blossomgame, a 2015-16 All-ACC selection who returns as the star of the men’s basketball team, grew up in Alpharetta, about 15 minutes from Suwanee.
All of those cities are closer to the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech than they are to Clemson. Yet Watson, Beer and Blossomgame could each be their sport’s top player at either of the schools.
How has Clemson had so much success going into Georgia and recruiting some of its best athletes?
Clemson athletics director Dan Radakovich, who was previously athletics director at Georgia Tech, believes the key has been the personal relationships developed by Clemson coaches.
“Clemson’s in a really unique spot, if you think about it,” Radakovich said. “Within two hours of where we’re sitting right now is about 7.5 million people. You go up (Interstate) 85, into Charlotte or down 85 into Atlanta. And the fact that we’ve had success … it makes Clemson a really quality alternative, and if people enjoy the more rural, pastoral setting that is here with lakes and mountains and the small-town feel, that really attracts a lot of folks.
“Prospective student-athletes who are drawn to that and they have great talent, then we want to get them here.”
Beer, Blossomgame and Watson aren’t Clemson’s only stars from the Peach State.
Running back Wayne Gallman, who broke Clemson’s single-season rushing record last year, is from Loganville. Left tackle Mitch Hyatt, a freshman All-American last year, is from Suwanee. Austin Bryant, Clemson’s most experienced returning defensive end, hails from Pavo.
Another Georgia product who could make an immediate impact on the gridiron this year is Tre Lamar. The four-star recruit from Roswell was ranked as the No. 3 signee in Clemson’s 2016 class by 247Sports.
Brandon Streeter, the football team’s recruiting coordinator, said he believes the successful recruitment of players like Watson and Gallman has led to continued success in Georgia.
“The kids that we’re getting in Georgia, have helped that process continue to go, continue to move forward and continue that momentum,” Streeter said.
Co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott, who preceded Streeter as recruiting coordinator, believes Clemson’s success in Georgia has been an execution of coach Dabo Swinney’s plan. While recruiting the top talent from South Carolina is Swinney’s No. 1 priority, the No. 2 priority is recruiting players from within a “five-hour-drive radius,” and Georgia fits the bill.
“That’s really that next group that we want to work on … but I think more than anything is when they see a guy like Deshaun, one of the top players in Georgia who did not worry about staying in-state and did was best for him, and he’s come up here and had a lot of success,” Scott said. “But I don’t think it’s specific just to the state of Georgia. I think Clemson now attracts a certain type of young man, a certain type of family and those guys can be found anywhere.”