Clemson Football: 5 current Tigers who are outplaying their star-ratings

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 14: Head Coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers runs off the field after a game against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome on September 14, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 14: Head Coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers runs off the field after a game against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome on September 14, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
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GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 28: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers celebrates his teams 29-23 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 28: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers celebrates his teams 29-23 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Star-ratings don’t always reveal the full story. Here’s a look at 5 current Clemson football players who are outplaying their recruiting rankings.

The Clemson football coaching staff does an excellent job of evaluating talent and developing players once they get on campus.

The Tigers have seen many players come into the program as highly-touted prospects and then develop into first-round draft picks.

In the same light, though, there are plenty of Tigers who aren’t quite as highly-sought after nationally and still develop into great players.

Here’s a look at 5 current Clemson football players who are outplaying their star-ratings.

5. Tyler Davis

Tyler Davis was a 4-star coming out of high school, so we shouldn’t pretend that he wasn’t highly sought after nationally.

After all, Davis had offers from 30 Power-5 schools, including Georgia, Michigan, Miami, Florida State, Ohio State and Texas A&M.

However, let’s also take a moment to recognize that he absolutely surpassed that star-rating with his freshman performance.

Davis was the No. 137 overall prospect in the nation and the No. 12-rated defensive tackle in the country. He was just the 18th overall player from the state of Florida.

The fact that Davis wasn’t a 5-star and the fact that he wasn’t rated inside the top-10 of his position group shows just how much a player can outplay his star-ratings. Davis became a full-time starter as a freshman and finished his campaign as a freshman All-American.

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