Clemson Football: A look at Recruiting Class Rankings under Dabo Swinney

Here’s a look at the all-time recruiting class rankings for Clemson football since Dabo Swinney took over as the head coach of the Tigers.

The 2019 Clemson football recruiting class has been one of the best in school history.

The Tigers are coming away with a composite top-10 class for yet another year and this class is shaping up to be a very good one.

Since Dabo Swinney took over the Clemson football program, the recruiting has steadily risen. The Tigers don’t just take guys because of their star-ratings.

Instead, Swinney and his staff recruit to needs. They don’t just recruit the best players or the ones that draw the most views to their highlight tapes. They recruit guys that can play, but also fit the program as far as character is concerned.

Here’s a look at the all-time recruiting class rankings for Clemson football since Dabo Swinney became the head coach of the Tigers.

These numbers are according to 247 sports composite team rankings.

2009: No. 36 nationally, (13 enrollees)

2010: No. 27 nationally, (20 enrollees)

2011: No. 10 nationally, (28 enrollees)

2012: No. 20 nationally, (15 enrollees)

2013: No. 15 nationally, (22 enrollees)

2014: No. 16 nationally, (19 enrollees)

2015: No. 9 nationally, (24 enrollees)

2016: No. 11 nationally (21 enrollees)

2017: No. 16 nationally (14 enrollees)

2018: No. 7 nationally (17 enrollees)

More than recruiting…

Of course, we know that the Class of 2019, which currently has 17 enrollees and 10 guys that have signed letters of intent, is ranked inside the top-10 of every major recruiting service’s rankings.

With that being said, you have to appreciate the ability that Dabo Swinney and his staff have had to evaluate talent and go off the beaten path, as well as develop once the recruits get on campus.

Not one time in the composite rankings did Clemson have a top-5 class. Now, if you go by just some of the individual recruiting sites, you’ll see the Tigers inside the top-5 a few times. But, if you look at all of them across the board and average, these are the numbers you’ll see.

The highest-rated recruiting class, according to the composite rankings, was last year’s No. 7 class.

Dabo Swinney is a master recruiter. Not just in getting elite prospects. He is able to evaluate talent that is largely being ignored by the major recruiting services and pick out guys that are going to fit in his program.