The culture at Clemson attracts players of all kinds. From five-star talents to low three-star guys that ultimately outplay their rankings, the Tigers have generally been able to attract talent.

Having said that, the fact that former NFL standouts with no real connection to the program continue to send their sons to play for Dabo Swinney lends even more credence to the consensus that there is something different in those hills. There is highly-touted offensive lineman, Brayden Jacobs, who was a member of the 2025 class. He is the son of Brandon Jacobs, who played at Auburn and Southern Illinois before spending almost a decade in the NFL and winning two Super Bowl rings.

Now we have three-star wideout Julian Cromartie, who committed to the Tigers during the big official visit weekend in late May. His father is former FSU standout, Antonio Cromartie. Antonio played for the Seminoles from 2003-05 before going on to be selected by the San Diego Chargers in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft.

The four-time Pro Bowler and 2007 first-team All-Pro also played for the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts over his 11-yard NFL career, totaling 417 tackles, 117 passes defended and 31 interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns.

Not only is Antonio’s son committed to Clemson, but his daughter, JurzieBlu Cromartie, announced a commitment to the gymnastics program last fall, meaning two of his children are about to begin collegiate careers at the school. In fact, his daughter’s commitment is what gave Antonio a chance to speak with Swinney about Julian, and as they say, the rest is history.

“Honestly, it began with my daughter committing to Clemson gymnastics,” Antonio Cromartie told The Clemson Insider. “She committed back in October and just having a conversation with Dabo. I know they don’t get out much and they don’t offer a lot of kids, so I just gave him my son’s name, said to watch the film and let me know what he thought. The relationship with Coach Grisham and Coach Dabo just took off.”

Antonio’s relationship with Swinney goes way back. More than two decades. When Swinney was a wide receiver coach on Tommy Bowden’s staff, he recruited Antonio’s younger brother, and the elder Cromartie actually sees some of the legendary FSU head coach Bobby Bowden in the Clemson head coach.

“For me, I have been knowing Coach Dabo since 2004 when he was recruiting my brother, TJ Williams, when he was just a receiver coach. That relationship goes back over 20 years,” Antonio said. “From how he treated my brother, how he recruited my brother, and how he’s just been honest. That is what I respect about him. I tell people to this day, he has not changed in over 22 years. How he is with recruiting, how he remembers things. It reminds me a lot, honestly, of Coach Bowden in so many ways.”

And those are only some of the reasons why Antonio is so comfortable sending his son to play at Clemson. Another reason goes back to the aforementioned culture that Swinney has created, which includes what is typically the highest graduation rate in the country, most years.

Antonio got to experience that culture firsthand during the big official visit weekend. He called it the best visit he’s ever been a part of, and that includes his two-year stint as a member of the coaching staff at Texas A&M.

“Clemson is by far the best visit… that I have been a part of,” said Antonio. “Just the atmosphere of the coaching staff, the campus, and just the people. It showed a lot of signs of family. They are family-oriented. You have 28 former players on staff, and that speaks volumes about who Coach Dabo is. And just the graduation rate. Those speak volumes about what the standards are at Clemson.”

While Antonio will always be a Seminole at heart, he is in no way conflicted about his son playing for one of Florida State’s biggest ACC rivals.

“None at all. I do not play no more,” he said. “I will always bleed garnet and gold, but for my kids, I am going to support them because it is not my journey. It is their journey. I have a son at Florida State that plays safety. That was his dream school. Julian is headed to Clemson in December, and he is looking forward to that. And I am just looking forward to just being a dad, sitting back watching my kids prosper and have fun while they are doing it at the same time. In the environment they want to be in.”

Julian transferred to College Park in Texas before his junior season after spending his first two years at Mater Dei, San Diego. Last season, he reeled in 42 catches for 824 yards with 13 scores playing 6A ball in the Lone Star State.

For some reason, despite offering, Florida State didn’t really pursue all that hard. The 6-foot-4 wideout did have close to 30 offers in total, including Texas Tech, Texas, Ole Miss, Georgia and Michigan. However, once Clemson got heavily involved earlier this year, it was the Tigers setting the pace, despite the other high-profile teams showing interest.

Another big part of that was Tyler Grisham. Antonio feels even more comfortable about Julian’s decision after getting to know the Tigers’ wide receivers coach, and he’s very much looking forward to seeing his son grow under Grisham’s tutelage.

“I love him. Coach Grisham is alright with me,” Antonio said. “Just from the simple fact of sitting down, talking in meetings, understanding what they are looking for, what they want out of receivers, and the development side of it. Just being able to sit in those meetings he’s gone through, his cutups, what he is looking for, how he develops his players. If players are not ready their first year, they are not trying to push the guy out the door. They want to get him developed to the point that he can go play. And that is the best part of it. You just don’t get too many schools that are worried about development. They are not just worried about hurrying and trying to win now and getting the guys in and out, or attacking the transfer portal.

“Coach Grisham wants to develop guys. He wants to not only develop on the football field, but also off the field. Where they are professionals and handle themselves and carry that Clemson name around with them. I think that is what you look for. Coach Grisham played receiver there, was coached by Coach Swinney and now he’s the head guy of the receiving room. That speaks volumes of the trust Coach Swinney has in him, and I look forward to my son being developed and coached by Coach Grisham.”

Photo courtesy of Julian Cromartie on Instagram