There were some big smiles in the Clemson locker room after the Orange Bowl. Jeff Scott’s might have been the biggest.

Every player who helped the Tigers win last Thursday night was signed during Scott’s tenure as recruiting coordinator, which ended after the 2015 class was finalized in February.

Among the many architects, Scott was an executive, when it came to constructing the Clemson roster. For more than six years, he helped lead the Tigers’ aggressive recruiting work.

Plus, the guy went to Clemson. He’s invested. Playing for a shot to advance to the National Championship meant an awful lot.

“I got emotional on the bus riding in (to Sun Life Stadium). It’s just unbelievable how many Clemson fans were here,” Scott told reporters, after the game.

“We started on one end of the stadium and we rode around to our locker room. All I could see was orange and it just made me think back, to there have been a lot of Clemson fans, former players and former coaches that have kind of been apart of this.”

Scott beamed with pride, when reporters crowded around him in the locker room.

“It’s definitely a special time and a time I know our players and coaches will remember for a long time,” he said.

The heavy Clemson presence inside Sun Life Stadium made it all the better for Scott. He estimated that 75 percent of the crowd was dressed in orange, just like the one at Bank of America Stadium for the ACC Championship.

“I think that speaks a loud message about our fans, our community, this is for them,” Scott said.

At the time, Clemson was still waiting to find out which team they would play in Arizona for the National Championship. Alabama, of course, went on to steamroll Michigan State.

“We know when you make it to the Final Four, you’re going to play tough teams. Our guys, we’ve played a tough schedule this year,” Scott said. “We’ve played some big games. It’s just the next challenge. It’s four more quarters.”

Just imagine the grin if Clemson rolls past Alabama for the first national title since 1981.