Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney says its always great to see a young man choose to play football at Clemson. These days, it has become even sweeter for Swinney and his coaching staff as the Tigers continue to sign players from all over the country.
“It’s amazing, especially for me, because I have been here 17 years,” Swinney said Wednesday from the WestZone in Clemson. “It is pretty cool to see how our brand has grown and then also to see how this age group has grown up in this decade of Clemson football. So, it is a pretty cool experience from my side of it as well.”
This year’s signing class really only knows Clemson as one of the best programs in the country. The Tigers are second nationally this decade in wins and win percentage, have won six ACC Championships, including five straight, have earned five straight College Football Playoff berths and won two national championships.
Now Clemson owns the nations No. 1 recruiting class, too. The Tigers signed 24 players overall on Wednesday, including six 5-star players. Included in that list is defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, the No. 1 player in the country according to 247 Sports and Rivals, and D.J. Uiagalelei, the nation’s No. 2 overall player according to Rivals.
The Tigers also signed the No. 3 player, according to 247 Sports, in defensive end Myles Murphy, as well as 5-star defensive tackle Demonte Capehart, 5-star running back Demarkus Bowman and cornerback Fred Davis II.
Clemson also signed 11 4-star players and finished with a composite ranking of 311.90, the best in the country according to 247 Sports Composite rankings. The Tigers are No. 1 in the country according to Rivals and ESPN, too, as of 3 p.m. ET.
“I don’t know how it will all shake out, but maybe, this might be our first No. 1 class,” Swinney said. “We have never had a No. 1 class and that is not a goal of mine. I will not lose any sleep over that because when we sign a guy, we think he is a five-star. He might be rated a two-star or a one-star like Adam Humphries, or a two-star like Grady Jarrett or a three-star like Travis Etienne. But when we sign one, we believe he is a five-star because he fits the criteria that we are looking for and brings certain things to the table that we think make us better and fits our program.
“So, maybe we get our first ever No. 1 class. I don’t know, but I think if we do it is a credit to the young men and just shows, first of all, how our brand has grown. But also, it just so happens that the best players in the country this year were great fits for Clemson and we were great fits for them. That is really what that says more than anything.”
Also, the 2020 signing class is Clemson’s 10th top 15 recruiting class in a row.
“We strive for consistency in everything that we do,” Swinney said. “I think we have been able to achieve that. That really was my number one goal when I got the job, was to be able to create a consistent program. Consistent on the field, consistent academically, consistent in recruiting, consistent in our development. Consistent with our staff. You name it. I think we have been able to do that, and I don’t have any doubt that this group is going to be special.”
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