Dabo Swinney has proven time and again throughout the past two months that Clemson can still swing a pretty big stick on the recruiting trail.

The Tigers have stacked one win after another, garnering 17 total commitments since the middle of May. On Saturday, Clemson picked up a verbal pledge from in-state DT Seth Tillman (South Pointe), giving Swinney one more recruiting win over Kirby Smart and Georgia in this recruiting cycle. Landing Tillman also shows the Tigers can still pull an in-state talent they really want.

Michigan and South Carolina were the other two finalists, and while the Wolverines made a late push during his official visit, this was mostly a battle between the Dawgs and the Tigers. Tillman did give the Gamecocks an official, and that staff certainly wanted him, but they never seemed to gain any real traction.

However, looking past who Clemson beat out, this is still a big get for Swinney. Along with three-star Jaden Wuerth (Dutch Fork), another in-state talent, the Tigers now have two quality players that can be built around on that defensive line. Don’t let Wuerth’s three-star ranking fool you. He is a high-quality prospect that I believe the recruiting services are undervaluing.

The 6-foot-3 interior lineman has already added some bulk to that frame of his and is in the neighborhood of 300 pounds heading into his senior season at the high school level. At South Pointe, he’s lined up inside and outside. How he continues to develop physically over the next few months will play a part in how ready he might be in year one, but Tillman is a guy who looks like he could eventually be a multi-year starter at the next level.

His addition gives Clemson 25 commitments, with 247 ranking the class No. 12 in the country. Both 247 and Rivals rank Tillman among the Top 15 defensive tackles in the class. More importantly, landing him means the staff hit on their top two targets at the position. Tillman was the first interior defensive lineman to pick up and offer from the Tigers. Wuerth was the second. Four-star Segun Alexander ultimately landed an offer a few weeks ago after reclassifying, but make no mistake, it was Tillman and Wuerth that were the priorities.

Photo courtesy of Seth Tillman on Instagram