The Clemson Tigers throttled the Alabama Crimson Tide on Monday, 44-16, to win their second national championship in three seasons and third in program history, joining the 1981 and 2016 teams. The 28-point victory marked Alabama’s largest margin of loss under Nick Saban, while Clemson became the first major college football team in the modern era to finish with a 15-0 record.
After the Tigers captured the national title, The Clemson Insider reached out to a number of recruits for their reactions to Clemson’s win.
Antoine Sampah, 2020 5-star LB, Woodbridge (Va.): “I had Clemson on the win. But they really came to play and set the tone on defense consistently. Offensively Clemson’s line won them the game because they created great pockets for Trevor Lawrence to be comfortable and confident to dominate.”
Rylie Mills, 2020 4-star DE, Lake Forest (Ill.): “Definitely an awesome game to watch! Very impressive how dominant the D-line was.”
Bryn Tucker, 2020 4-star OL, Knoxville (Tenn.) Catholic: “Proud of Coach Swinney and the players of a dominant performance. Can’t wait to get back up there.”
Seth McLaughlin, 2020 3-star OL, Buford (Ga.): “It was crazy how much they won by. This win really solidifies Clemson’s place as a powerhouse beyond any doubt.”
Chantz Williams, 2020 4-star DE, Orange Park (Fla.) Oakleaf: “Their performance was DOMINANT, especially from the defense. I was very impressed.”
Rahjai Harris, 2020 RB, Duncan (S.C.) Byrnes: I knew Clemson was going to win! Clemson had a different attitude than Alabama. Clemson’s offense is awesome and the defense is too fast!
Brady Ward, 2020 3-star OL, Mobile (Ala.) St. Paul’s: “I thought the best TEAM won. I thought Clemson’s tall and athletic WRs gave Alabama problems. It caused them to drop a lot in coverage and only rush four, which Clemson’s offensive line handled easy and gave Trevor time to do what he does. It was a big win but it was typical Clemson Football.”
Dawson Ellington, 2020 3-star ATH, Marietta (Ga.): “I thought it would be more of a fight between those two teams but I was impressed on how well the Clemson defense played.”
Tim Keenan, 2021 4-star DT, Birmingham (Ala.) Ramsay: “They came to play and they had a chip on their shoulder and didn’t let the ratings and hype get to them.”
Eli Sutton, 2021 4-star OL, Nashville (Tenn.) Brentwood Academy: “Wow, honestly, I knew Clemson was good, but not this good. They did everything right, they made no mistakes and capitalized on the mistakes Alabama made.”
Weston Franklin, 2021 4-star OL, Jesup (Ga.) Wayne County: “They showed a high-class win. They were very coached up. Dabo and his staff knew everything they needed to do to prepare to beat Alabama. They excelled in every aspect of the game. The biggest thing that stood out to me, was that when Christian Wilkins gave Coach Swinney a wet willy. That showed to me that the program is a family-based program. You would never see that from any other program in the country.”
In case you missed it, here is the first part of TCI’s recruit reactions to Clemson’s national championship win.