Clemson’s philosophy on the recruiting trail is simple – and has proven to be very successful.
For the Tigers, the most important thing is finding the right fit.
“Coach Swinney makes it very clear that the number one thing is the fit,” Clemson recruiting coordinator Brandon Streeter said on National Signing Day last week after the Tigers wrapped up another top-10 signing class.
In other words, Clemson is not only searching for the best prospects – but the best prospects that are also a perfect fit for Clemson’s program, the values it stands for and its culture.
Sure, the Tigers want to get the most talented recruits. But they are just as concerned with a recruit’s character during the evaluation process as they are his talent.
Clemson looks to recruit the best young men, not just the best football players.
“With our job in recruiting, we’ve got to be right. We definitely have pressure on us to be right,” Streeter said. “But we need to be right especially with the fit piece, and then obviously you check that box with the talent. But if we’re not right in the fit for this university and our culture, then they’ll stick out like a sore thumb, and we don’t want to be a part of that.”
Clemson’s 28-member 2019 signing class is ranked No. 9 nationally by Rivals and No. 10 in the country by 247Sports and ESPN.
It marks the fifth straight year that the Tigers have signed a top-10 class according to ESPN.
“From a class standpoint, we’ve never signed the number one recruiting class in the country, and I’m not sure we ever will,” Swinney said. “But, you know, I think probably one of the things that we do better than a lot of people is really evaluate the people and evaluate to the fit of our program. So, our guys do a great job of that.”
In the recruiting world, it’s easy to get caught up with star ratings, player rankings and number of scholarship offers.
However, the Tigers aren’t really worried about any of that. For them, it’s all about finding the most talented guys that fit what Clemson is about.
“Our staff does an unbelievable job of going out on the road and articulating who we are and what are core values are, what we’re all about as a program, what the expectations are, and just getting guys on campus,” Swinney said. “I think that’s huge, and once they get on campus, the totality of Clemson … this is a special place, and there’s so many people who drive that.”
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