Clemson finished the 2016 National Signing Day with officially adding 23 new Tigers to the 2016 signing class. Seven of those 23 signees enrolled early and have already been on campus for a couple of weeks, taking classes and working out with the team. The rest of the signees will join the team over the summer, and head coach Dabo Swinney could not be more excited about the athletes who chose Clemson.

Here is what we heard from Swinney and recruiting coordinator Brandon Streeter in the National Signing Day press conference:

Swinney says Clemson got better with the new recruiting class, but he is ultimately thankful for the athletes who chose Clemson because it means they truly love the program.

“It is the lifeline of our program. The type of people that you bring in each and every year is critical, but it is just real simple. We got better today,” Swinney said. “The thing that never gets old for me is when a young person choses to come be a part of our program. I love that because I don’t think there is anybody that is more transparent in the recruiting process than we are. We try to lay everything out as far as who we are, the way we do things, the expectations we have and that way there’s no surprises. For guys to chose to come be a part of our program each and every year, is something that is special and something we take great pride in. I appreciate all these guys that chose to be Tigers today.”

Clemson’s top 5 class will aim to rebuild the depth at positions that took a hit when two back-to-back record-breaking classes departed.

“This group I think is going to be special. I think this is a group that from top to bottom, fulfills our needs,” Swinney said.

But Swinney was not just focused on bringing in four- and five-star talent. He focuses on building a program based on quality of character. He believes this class exemplifies that.

“We need championship people first. That needs to be our focus. I think that with this group we have done that. I think we got a bunch of championship people that just happen to be good football players,” Swinney said.

Although Clemson landed a solid signing class, Swinney will be the first to tell you it was not always so easy, especially with the late announcements of players leaving early for the draft.

“It was a little bit more of a grind than we thought it would be. We were really grinding all the way through the finish line,” Swinney said.

However, it did help that Clemson solidified most of their commitments prior to signing day. One signee, who has been committed for the long haul is quarterback Zerrick Cooper. Streeter cannot wait to watch him grow and develop at Clemson.

“We’re really excited about him and developing him into being a cerebral and all-around quarterback. He’s got the talents,” Streeter said. “Unbelievable arm. Unbelievable talent.”

As both the quarterback coach and recruiting coordinator, Streeter was truly thankful for everyone who played a role in recruiting the 2016 class, and his gratefulness showed in his press conference.

“First and foremost, just thanking a lot of people. Our coaching staff and the efforts they brought forth in this cycle and every single day. I’m learning that we all just kind of feed off of each other. We learn from each other all the different styles of recruiting and obviously it stems from Coach Swinney. He’s a great recruiter,” Streeter said.

If you haven’t already order your copy today of Guts & Glory – Tales of Clemson’s Historic 2015 Football Season to help you celebrate and remember this special season.