CLEMSON — In 2021, C.J. Spiller was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, becoming just the fourth former Clemson player to land in the Hall.

Spiller is joined by Banks McFadden (1959), Terry Kinard (2001) and Jeff Davis (2007). They are also joined by four legendary Clemson coaches – John Heisman (1954), Jess Neely (1971), Frank Howard (1989) and Danny Ford (2017). Josh Cody, who coached Clemson from 1927-’30, went into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1970.

Nine people with ties to Clemson are in the College Football Hall of Fame. Is it me, or does it seem like there should be more?

Granted, there is more to come in the future. In fact, there is a good chance former wide receiver Sammy Watkins will get into the Hall.

On Monday, Watkins joined returning nominee Donnell Woolford among the 80 FBS candidates on the ballot for the Hall’s 2027 induction class.

I think it is safe to say Dabo Swinney will get in, as well as Travis Etienne, Trevor Lawrence, Deshaun Watson and Christian Wilkins. They are locks, in my opinion, just based off what they accomplished in the college ranks.

I can entertain arguments for DeAndre Hopkins, Dwayne Allen, Tajh Boyd, DaQuan Bowers, Clelin Ferrell, Mike Williams, Tee Higgins and Dexter Lawrence. But I will not be surprised if none of them make it.

Here is why.

Think about all the great college football players Clemson has produced over the years, and only four, to this point, have been selected into the Hall.

Fred Cone, Steve Fuller, Jerry Butler and Levon Kirkland are the four players in Clemson illustrious Ring of Honor that are not in the College Football Hall of Fame. Kirkland was nominated for the 2022, ’23 and ’24 classes but did not make it into the Hall.

That’s how hard it is to get into the College Football Hall of Fame. Think about those great Clemson teams of the past.

Clemson had undefeated teams in 1948 and 1950 and not one player from those two teams made it into the Hall.

The 1978 Clemson team lost one game and yet no one on that team made it into the Hall. Steve Fuller was the 1977 and 1978 ACC Player of the Year. He finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy race in 1978, and he still has not sniffed the College Football Hall of Fame.

Two players from Clemson’s 1981 National Championship Team are in the Hall – linebacker Jeff Davis and safety Terry Kinard. However, wide receiver Perry Tuttle, defensive end Jeff Bryant and middle guard William Perry – they are not in there.

Ford’s teams won ACC Championships in 1982, ’86, ’87 and ’88, while the ’82 and ’83 teams went 9-1-1. Yet, only Terry Kinard is in the College Football Hall of Fame from those teams.

From 1986-’89, the Tigers went 38-8-2, yet no player has made it to the Hall from those teams. Michael Dean Perry, the 1987 ACC Player of the Year, isn’t in the Hall.

The 2015-2020 seasons are considered the Golden Era of Clemson Football. The Tigers were a combined 79-7 in those six seasons, including two national championships (2016 and ’18) and four appearances in the national title game during a five-year stretch (2015-’19).

But do not get your hopes up that anyone else is going to make it into the Hall other than the four names I mentioned above.

Despite being great players on great Clemson teams, there is no guarantee of anyone getting into the College Football Hall of Fame. I think history has taught us that.