Clemson Football: Comparing the Tigers’ decommit numbers to the nation

There aren’t many times that we hear of recruits decommitting from Clemson football once they’ve made the decision to verbally commit.

Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney has a philosophy that sets the program apart from the rest of the nation.

Instead of taking a bunch of guys with the highest star-ratings at each position, the Tigers recruit tailored to their specific needs. They lock in on a few select prospects at the positions they are looking to fill and then begin forming a relationship with those targets.

This is where things get different, though: When those targets have made the decision to commit, the Clemson football coaching staff tries to talk them out of their decision.

Instead of rushing the process, we’ve heard several recruits over the years talk about how the coaching staff asked them several times, ‘Are you sure this is what you want?’ ‘Are you really ready for this?’ That culminates into the prospect taking a step back and making a decision with complete certainty.

That philosophy that the coaches have taken on has led to a difference between Clemson and the rest of the nation. It keeps decommitment numbers low and maintains the ‘All-In’ perspective that players have when joining the program.

Over the last eight recruiting cycles, Clemson football has had just 10 decommitments. Of those 10, one of them (Shaq Smith) recommitted later and ended up graduating from Clemson.

That means the Tigers have had just nine prospects in the last eight years decommit once choosing to verbally commit. That’s just unheard of in this day and age of College Football.

Just a quick glance at the decommittment numbers for some of the top programs in the same span:

• Alabama (49)
• Georgia (45)
• Ohio State (26)
• Oklahoma (29)
• South Carolina (35)

In the same amount of time, Alabama has had 39 more decommitments than Clemson. That’s absolutely astounding. Bama, Georgia and South Carolina each had cycles where more than nine players decommitted in that single year span.

While many will ignore the decommittment numbers, Tiger fans should give credit where credit is due. Dabo Swinney has done a great job of not selling a false bill of goods to prospects and focusing in on a select few instead of offering scholarships to everyone. That philosophy has set Clemson football apart from the rest of the nation.