With Clemson recruiting more nationally, head-to-head in-state battles with USC are rare

The South Carolina-Clemson football rivalry is one of the most intense in the country on the field, but the Gamecocks and Tigers didn’t cross paths much on the recruiting trail this cycle.

It was a bit of a down year in state, with only four players from South Carolina ranked in the 247Sports Top 247.

Clemson received an early commitment from the No. 1-ranked player from South Carolina – Spartanburg running back Tavien Feaster. The the No. 3 player, Troy Pride, didn’t get interest from USC or the Tigers until late and committed to Notre Dame.

The two players South Carolina and Clemson went head-to-head on were second-ranked prospect John Simpson, who has eliminated USC and is down to Clemson, Florida and LSU, and fourth-ranked prospect Bryan Edwards, who chose the Gamecocks over the Tigers in December.

Clemson recruited more of the top ranked players nationally after winning 10 games or more for the fifth straight year and making a trip to the national championship game. South Carolina had a down year (3-9) and got off to a slow start in recruiting because of the coaching change. USC was unable to become a factor with the same level of prospects as the Tigers.

“It’s been really impressive for Clemson to cast a wide net. There are only a certain number of prospects in the state of South Carolina, and now Clemson is recruiting at a national level,” Rivals Southeast recruiting analyst Woody Wommack said.

“They’re going to Florida and getting guys, and then going up north and getting guys like Christian Wilkins, they’re getting the No. 1 player to take an official visit late in the process,” he said. “They’re hot. They’ve kind of got the ‘it’ factor right now. I think that’s a big reason why you’re seeing the success on the field.”

Ryan Bartow of 247Sports said Clemson is having success recruiting on a national level for several reasons, including using local ties of prospects to their advantage.

Five-star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, out of Connecticut, who signed with Clemson last year, has family in Rock Hill. For the 2016 class, four-star defensive end Xavier Kelly from Kansas has family in Savannah.

“The kids see the results. They see they almost beat Alabama. They won every game but one. They run a wide open offense. They’re getting in on these kids early and getting them committed and not allowing them to visit other places,” Bartow said. “They’re using their ties well, too. Players will have some ties and connections to this area so you’re able to go to these other spots in the country and connect the dots.”

Even though Clemson and USC didn’t recruit much head-to-head in 2016, that will likely change in years to come. The 2017 in-state class is considered to be somewhat down, but the 2018 class should be very good.

The Gamecocks will also look to recruit more nationally, led by Muschamp and a staff that is full of coaches known as being strong recruiters.

“I think you’ll see a more aggressive approach from Muschamp and company,” Wommack said. “They’re not going head-to-head as much as they used to, but I think that will change when Muschamp and his staff goes out and starts recruiting the 2017 class.”