Does Dabo Swinney feel like Clemson has had “misses” on the recruiting trail, or is the Tigers’ head coach satisfied with the talent that has come into his program?
Swinney was asked that question during his weekly radio show Monday night and says Clemson is in a “good spot” right now as far as talent on the roster.
“I think we’re in a good spot,” he said. “You always have some guys that you so-call ‘miss’ on. Nobody’s perfect. Even the NFL, they spend millions and millions of dollars on evaluation and personnel departments, and they miss.
“So, nobody’s perfect. But one of the main reasons that we’ve been so consistent for a long time is we’ve evaluated well and we’ve developed well. But there’s definitely room for improvement, always, without doubt.”
Swinney is high on a bunch of true freshmen on the 2025 roster whom the Tigers signed in their 2025 recruiting class – which ranked 26th nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite team recruiting class rankings.
Swinney specifically mentioned wide receiver Juju Preston, running back Gideon Davidson, tight end Logan Brooking, offensive linemen Brayden Jacobs, Easton Ware, Rowan Byrne and Gavin Blanchard, and linebacker Logan Anderson.
“I like the young talent that we brought in, in this last class. I really do. I like all these guys,” Swinney said. “I’m excited about – nobody really knows much about Juju, but I’m excited about him. I think he’s going to be a fun kid to watch. I’m really excited about Gideon. I’m excited about Logan Brooking and Brayden Jacobs and Easton Ware and Rowan Byrne, Gavin Blanchard. They’re all young guys, but their time will come. Because we’ve got a lot of veteran guys, so they’ll have plenty of opportunity. I like young Logan Anderson, a young linebacker. I think he’s gonna have a chance to be a good football player. So, it’s a good group.”
Swinney also likes the incoming talent in the Tigers’ 2026 recruiting class, which is currently ranks 15th nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite.
“I think we’ve got a lot of help on the way in our incoming class. So, excited about those guys,” Swinney said. “Most of those guys will be here in December or early January.”