Clemson football: 2022 recruiting class got a huge boost Sunday afternoon

The Clemson football 2022 recruiting class got a lot better on Sunday afternoon as the Tigers received a verbal commitment from one of the nation’s premier defensive linemen, IMG Academy’s Jihaad Campbell.

This was the fourth commitment Clemson football has received in June – not surprisingly they have come after the NCAA lifted its yearlong ban on schools allowing recruits on campus. Head coach Dabo Swinney has long believed that if he could get a visit from the nation’s elite recruits, they would fall in love with Clemson as much as any fan or student has.

Joining Campbell in June has been defensive backs Toriano Pride and Sherrod Covil as well as one of the nation’s top-rated kickers, Robert Gunn.

Clemson football makes a giant leap in overall recruiting rankings

Coming into the last week, Clemson football was 26th in the country according to the 247Sports team rankings; the Tigers were fourth in the ACC behind Boston College, Florida State, and Virginia Tech.

After the commitment of Campbell, the Tigers jumped to 18th in the country and third in the ACC.

Those rankings are based on total points accumulated by each committed player and not the actual strength of the class. The per player average paint the Tigers in a very different light.

Before Jihaad Campbell’s announcement, the 2022 Clemson football recruiting class per player average was 91.7 and eighth in the country behind Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, UGA, Oklahoma, USC, and Texas A&M.

The Tigers per player average has jumped to 92.02.

While they are still eighth in per player average, they have closed the gap between themselves, USC (92.29), and Texas A&M (92.75).

As sites update their rankings over the next six months, the Clemson football 2022 recruiting class will certainly see their rankings increase, as will the Tigers’ rankings overall.

Tiger fans everywhere know that recruiting classes mean little to nothing when it comes to success. Only twice in the last 11 years have the Tigers had a top-five ranked class, yet they have won six straight ACC titles, made six straight College Football Playoff appearances, have four national title appearances, and won two national titles.

Regardless of what the final 2022 Clemson football recruiting class looks like and where “experts” have them ranked, there is no doubt that the Tigers staff will develop the recruits better than any other staff in the country and the new batch of Tigers will continue the streak of on the field excellence that players, coaches, and fans have come to expect.