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Clemson Football: Tigers no longer have the ACC’s top recruiting class

By Andrew Boardwine

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Mack Brown of the North Carolina Tar Heels watches his team play against the Appalachian State Mountaineers during the second half of their game at Kenan Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Mountaineers won 34-31. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Mack Brown of the North Carolina Tar Heels watches his team play against the Appalachian State Mountaineers during the second half of their game at Kenan Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Mountaineers won 34-31. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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The Clemson football program has been dominating the ACC for the past half-decade. Could some competition be developing at the top?

The Clemson football program has been dominating the ACC in every facet over the past half-decade.

The Tigers have won five-straight ACC Championships and there’s no reason to believe they’ll be slowing down any time soon. But could there be some competition on the horizon.

In the updated 247 Sports’ Composite Team Rankings, Clemson fell one spot to No. 3 in the nation. Not only did the Tigers fall a spot in the national rankings, for the first time in quite a while, they aren’t currently ranked No. 1 in the ACC in terms of recruiting classes.

Clemson football, ranked No. 3 in the 2021 composite recruiting rankings, is currently behind Ohio State (No. 1) and North Carolina (No. 2). The Tarheels currently have 14 commitments with 11 4-stars and three 3-stars. Clemson, on the other hand, has 10 commits with one 5-star and nine 4-stars.

Ohio State, who is ranked No. 1, has 17 commitments with three 5-stars, 12 4-stars and two 3-stars.

It should be noted that though the Tigers have less overall points than the Buckeyes or the Tarheels, they have the highest average star-rating in the nation.

Recruiting rankings change so often that it may only be a week or two that UNC holds a spot over Clemson, but it’s still something interesting to think about.

Mack Brown has done an excellent job of putting that UNC Tarheel program on the map. There’s excitement in Chapel Hill and there are plenty of reasons to believe that North Carolina could become the perennial favorite in the ACC Coastal Division over the course of the next few seasons with Brown at the helm.

What does it mean for the Clemson football program?

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Well, the Tigers are still lightyears ahead as a program compared to the Tarheels, but it could mean that there is some competition on the horizon that could, at the very least, bolster the Tigers’ schedule on their way to more CFB Playoff appearances.

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