Clemson hosted a bevy of elite juniors this weekend and landed a handful of commitments from some of the best rising seniors in the country. Clemson’s 2021 class is starting to take shape and will look a lot like the 2020 class when it’s all said and done.
Just five years ago, Clemson was told that once Deshaun Watson left, they would return to mediocrity. We all laughed when former Gamecock quarterback Todd Ellis proclaimed Clemson was “cycling out”. Well, if Clemson is cycling out, then this must be the Tour de France.
Since that ridiculous proclamation by Ellis, Clemson has won several more ACC championships, had a couple of undefeated regular seasons and made the College Football playoffs each year and only failing to not make the national championship games once.
Cycling out!
What does cycling outlook like for 2021? Well, over the weekend Clemson football picked up commitments from several high profile 4-star recruits in Beaux Collins (#8 wide receiver), Jake Briningstool (#2 tight end), and Cade Denhoff (#7 defensive end).
Jake Briningstool is the highest-ranked tight end to commit to Clemson in the history of the program. Prior to Briningstool, Dwayne Allen was Clemson’s highest-rated tight end recruit.
After the addition of these three commitments to the 2021 class, Clemson jumped all the way up to number two in the team recruiting rankings – just behind Ohio State. At this moment, the 2021 per player average is higher than the phenomenal 2020 class that Clemson has already secured.
There are a lot of eyes on Clemson to see if they would miss a beat after former co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Jeff Scott left to become the head coach at the University of South Florida and if this weekend was any indication, Clemson is going to continue to grow and get better.
Losing coaches is never easy, but this speaks to the culture that Coach Swinney has established and flourishes. Players want to play for this program and for the coaches that are here.
The 2021 signing day is still a year away, but the next 12 months will be fun to watch and if this is “cycling out”, let’s hope this trend continues.