Clemson signed only 18 total players in the 2025 cycle, so the Tigers’ recruiting class is ranked unusually low by the program’s standards.
In ESPN’s 2025 college football recruiting class rankings (subscription required), Clemson checks in at 37th overall and sits outside the top five classes in the ACC. According to ESPN, the Tigers are ranked behind the 2025 classes of Miami (No. 13 nationally), Georgia Tech (No. 19), Florida State (No. 26), SMU (No. 30), Duke (No. 35) and Syracuse (No. 36).
However, although it is smaller, Clemson’s 2025 class is still filled with talent. And ESPN national recruiting analyst Craig Haubert spoke about that Wednesday while weighing in on the Tigers’ class during ESPN’s College Football Live: Signing Day Special show.
“If you’re Clemson fans, don’t freak out,” Haubert said. “You’re just lower [in the rankings] because you don’t have a lot of numbers in that class, but there’s quality there.”
Clemson’s 18-man class features 15 high school players – including nine four-star prospects per ESPN and four ESPN 300 players – as well as three transfers in former Alabama linebacker Jeremiah Alexander, former Purdue defensive end Will Heldt and former Southeast Missouri State wide receiver Tristan Smith.
“There’s so many ways to kind of look at these things and read them,” Haubert said of recruiting class rankings. “But with the new (NCAA 105-player roster cap) and transfers, there’s some classes, if you go through ESPN.com, that have 50 players in it. Clemson’s around 18. You know what that speaks to — that speaks to retention.
“And this class actually has a few transfers in it. We should have a ‘breaking news’ banner. There’s a few transfers in it. There’s three.”
According to ESPN, defensive tackle Amare Adams is the top-ranked player in Clemson’s 2025 class (No. 56 overall nationally) and the No. 1 player in the state of South Carolina, while running back Gideon Davidson (No. 59 overall nationally) is the Tigers’ top-ranked signee on the offensive side of the ball and the No. 1 player in the state of Virginia.
Davidson is ESPN’s third-ranked running back nationally and one of two running backs that Clemson signed in its 2025 class, along with Marquise Henderson of nearby Belton-Honea Path High School – ESPN’s No. 12 running back and No. 166 overall player nationally.
“Most importantly, I think what they did do a nice job on the recruiting trail of doing was hitting the running back position,” Haubert said. “They’re losing (Phil Mafah). They’re bringing in two outstanding running backs in Gideon Davidson and Marquise Henderson from in state. Davidson, over 5,000 yards with 80 touchdowns over the last two years. 2,100 yards this past season for Henderson. Those two combined I think can really do a nice job of going in there and helping replace some of the production they’re going to lose.”