CLEMSON – When it comes to national signing day, usually Clemson is done by now.

Unfortunately for the Clemson Football program, that is not the case this year. This year has been like no other for Dabo Swinney and his staff. Five players have decommitted from Clemson’s 2025 recruiting class, including four since August and all four were top 100 targets. And it looks like another is on the way.

Why is this happening?

The answer is not always the same for all parties. However, what The Clemson Insider has learned is financial considerations are playing a major factor in almost all of the Tigers’ decommitments this year.

Clemson currently sits No. 17 in 247’s Composite Rankings with 12 days to go before National Signing Day. Clemson has finished each of the last 15 years ranked inside the top 15 in recruiting and in a lot of those years have been in the top 10.

In the past, Clemson has rarely lost a player after he commits to Dabo Swinney. So, why now?

Clemson has not been willing to ante up and pay the market value that it takes to land some of these top 100 targets. The Tigers are losing out because these players are getting better offers.

With revenue sharing beginning next year, Swinney has said his first order of business is to pay the players that have been loyal to the Clemson program. In other words, they are investing in retaining players.

And that is understandable and is something that needs to be done. However, getting a blue-chip player through the door should be a priority, too.

Unfortunately for Clemson and other schools, a market has been set for top 100 players. They are getting paid like never before, which is why you see some players flipping from Clemson to go to other schools that in the past could not compete with Clemson in recruiting top 100 players.

Think of it this way, it is no different than what happens in the business world. The ones who do their job the best are the ones who are sought after and offered the most money.

It is also no different than coaching salaries in college football. There is a market value for top coaches and schools have to pay that value to acquire or keep the top coaches.

I understand Clemson wants to take care of its current players and retain as many as they can, but if the Tigers do not start paying the incoming freshman more money, especially the blue-chip players, then the talent is going to continue to drop.

In order to retain great players you first must spend the market value to get the great players on the roster. It’s time for Clemson to get with the times.

Like Swinney said a few weeks back, the world of College Football is very fluid right now, but NIL is not going away. He has already asked fans for help when it comes to NIL, but he and Clemson have not made pushes for NIL that we have seen from other schools around the nation.

While the sport is expected to start sharing revenue with players, as early as next July, Clemson still needs to be able to compete in the NIL market. That means the school still needs its fan base to keep supporting the 110 Society.

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