Early Signing Day at Clemson is now in the books.

While it’s possible that another high school recruit or two could be added on the later signing day in February, this class is all but done. At least when it comes to recruiting the high school ranks.

It was a smaller class, as the Tigers signed just 15 players. This is the smallest class since Dabo Swinney’s first, which featured just 13 players. The one the head coach affectionately calls the “Dandy Dozen.”

However, before getting to the finish line, the class was hit hard by decommitments. Seven of them to be exact and all but two came on the defensive side of the ball. Of those five defensive decommitments, four were considered Top 100 prospects. Some were replaced, some were not.

At the end of the day, recruiting classes are about filling needs. Did the Tigers fill those needs on the defense?

Defensive Tackle: The Tigers signed two, with one being 5-star Amare Adams. The other was 3-star Makhi Williams-Lee. We know Payton Page won’t be back and DeMonte Capehart could be gone after the season too. Clemson’s had a lot of depth on the interior of that defensive line and as long as some of the underclassmen like Vic Burley, Stephiylan Green, Champ Thompson and Hevin Brown-Shuler don’t unexpectedly transfer, the needs here were met.

Defensive End: 4-star Ari Watford was the only end signed after 4-star Bryce Davis flipped to Duke. This coming after a season in which the staff had to move it’s best tackle, Peter Woods, outside due to a lack of depth.

The staff only took one end in 2024, 4-star Darien Mayo. With some of the struggles experienced at the spot opposite T.J. Parker throughout the season, it’s hard to say the needs were met here. If the staff really is going to recruit the portal this year, this is the position that needs the hardest look.

Linebacker: This is another position where the staff signed just one player, 4-star Logan Anderson. Barrett Carter is the only linebacker that runs out of eligibility after the season, so on paper you have one going out and one coming in.

Having said that, this isn’t one of the deeper positions on the team. Maybe the roster could have been bolstered by adding one more. Some of that depends on the development of guys like Kobe McCloud, who missed most of the season with an injury, and CJ Kubah-Taylor, who redshirted this season. Whether the needs were met is yet to be determined.

Safety: The Tigers suffered two decommitments and replaced them with 4-star Jakarrion Kenan on signing day. R.J. Mickens is done after this season and it’s very possible that Tyler Venables chooses not to return. It’s also possible this position sees at least one portal defection.

There is a lot of young talent on the roster and the staff did sign three in the last class, with two of those redshirting this season. The third, Ricardo Jones, showed a lot of potential when he got on the field.

Like linebacker, whether the needs were met are yet to be determined. This writer leans towards thinking they weren’t.

Cornerback: The plan was to take one corner and the staff secured a commitment from a Top 100 prospect, but it didn’t stick. He was never replaced.

On the bright side, the room is loaded with young talent and no one is set to exhaust their eligibility after the season. When a player like Corian Gipson can redshirt, that’s a pretty good indicator of how stacked that room is. But when you don’t sign a single player at a position in the portal era, it’s hard to say the needs were met.