Clemson football recruits character first, talent second

Character matters to those in charge of Clemson football.

There is no doubting the collection of talent that litters the Clemson football roster but when you dig deeper into the success that has kept the Tigers at the top of college football, people matter.

Talent accumulation matters but simply recruiting based on recruiting rankings may land you a super team where everything comes together but what happens next?

We have had a front-row seat to what has happened in Tallahassee. That 51-14 beat down seems like a decade ago. In Baton Rouge, things are not going well nine months after fielding one of the most dominant teams in college football history.

On a year-to-year basis, there are teams that recruit better than the Tigers. Yet it is Clemson that has been able to weather roster turnover to remain near the pinnacle of college football. The question is ‘how’?

Athleticism matters but so does who you are in your community.

Before that offer is dispensed a tremendous amount of time and effort is put into finding out who these young men are. Who are they in the classroom and community? What are their families like? Are they good teammates? Are they coachable? How do they represent themselves on social media?

If you dig deep on an annual basis there is top-flight talent that never gets a Clemson football offer.

Why? You have to fit at Clemson.

Bringing in the wrong type of student-athletes can bring down a program quicker than anything. You hear Coach Swinney talk about the importance of team guys, guys being unselfish, staying the course when it is difficult.

Coach Elliott was asked about the evaluation process in his weekly meeting with the press yesterday where he said, “when we go out, we want to recruit character first because we understand that is the foundation of the program and we understand the philosophy that talent will carry you to the top but only character will keep you there.”

There you have it. What proves that out is the mix of individuals you see Clemson football bring in on an annual basis.

Most people will focus on the signings of Myles Murphy, Bryan Bresee, Andrew Booth, and rightfully so but then the Tigers will sign Davis Allen, they bring in and develop Hunter Renfrow. You see a kid like Darien Rencher getting meaningful snaps.

Clemson’s ability to evaluate talent and character is the foundation of why the Tigers are seeking their 10th consecutive double-digit win season and potentially sixth consecutive College Football Playoff appearance.