By Ed McGranahan.

By Ed McGranahan

Insanity prevails this time of year, and it might be reasonable if we were sitting in 30 inches of snow and couldn’t find a wireless signal without hitching dogs to a sled. Recruiting does that to otherwise rational people.

Clemson fans don’t seem to be any better or worse than others. The exterminator wants to debate the relative value of the 18-year-old defensive tackle from Georgia, and the dentist wants to plead the case for the quarterback in Florida.
As Signing Day dawns here’s a reminder that things aren’t always as they seem.

No doubt Clemson’s program stands on firmer ground today because of the depth of talent signed under Dabo Swinney, but there are no absolutes.

And there’s plenty of room for improvement.

For every Cory Lambert, Antonio Clay and Rendrick Taylor – highly regard and widely recruited prospects under Tommy Bowden – Clemson struck gold with more modestly valued players like Chris Clemons, Michael Palmer, Chris Hairston and Andre Branch.

This is not a science. Much of it is pure gut. An ESPN three-star may be a Rivals two-star, which begins to explain why Clemson’s current class of 18 was ranked 14th nationally by ESPN, 18th by Scout.com and 20th by Rivals.com.

Fans hang their hopes on arbitrarily distributed stars. A prospect with no stars in December may receive three in January, but it helps if Alabama is recruiting a kid.

So who’s right? Does it matter?

C.J. Spiller and Ricky Sapp were five-star prospects in 2006. Palmer and Hairston were unranked two-stars in the same class.

Willy Korn, Scotty Cooper and Kourtnei Brown were four-stars in 2007. Andre Branch and Coty Sensabaugh were two-stars.

Jamie Harper was a five-star in 2008. Spencer Adams was four-star.

Circumstances can change in a heartbeat.

When Clay dumped his commitment to Oklahoma for Clemson it was considered a recruiting coup in 2005. Two-star Kavell Conner was in the same class.

Cooper, Stanley Hunter and J.K. Jay – a key component of Swinney’s first class in 2009 – are among the players whose careers were quashed prematurely by illness or injury.

Clemson could trot out a reasonably competitive team next fall with no higher than an ESPN three-star.

It would be a little light at the offensive skill positions and safety – speed seems to be an instant calibrator of star power – but since muscle can be applied in the weight room and size in the dining room, the lines would be largely intact.

That might begin to explain how Boise Stare, ranked No. 8, 9, 4, 11, 5 and 18th in AP polls since 2006, did not have a single recruiting class ranked in the Top 25 by ESPN during the same stretch?

Nailing Tyrone Crowder or Mackensie Alexander would cap what’s an already solid class, but don’t fret. The real work starts after they’re in uniform.