4-star LB Jay Schell choosing Oklahoma puts Dabo Swinney back under the microscope

As expected, four-star linebacker Jay Schell has committed to Oklahoma over Clemson. While this does not come as much of a surprise, that does not make it hurt any less. Schell is the son of former Clemson quarterback Matt Schell. He grew up near Clemson in Rabun Gap, Ga. Although he favors the other side of the ball, Schell picking Oklahoma over Clemson is an awful look for Dabo Swinney.

While this may be all about Schell wanting to grow and learn under Brent Venables, it is not like the Sooners have been all that and a bag of chips this season. The Sooners' offense is putrid. With the same 2-1 record on the year as Clemson, one could argue the vibes are actually worse in Norman right now than they are at Clemson. Still, Swinney has to be kicking himself over missing out on him.

Clemson rolled out the red carpet for Schell during his Week 2 visit versus Georgia Southern. He was allowed to be in the Clemson locker room during the pre-game, a privilege usually reserved for only Clemson players, coaches, and commits. Even if the Tigers looked better versus the Eagles than the Sooners did versus New Mexico, it seems as though Schell already had his mind made up coming in.

Clemson needs a new recruiting strategy after missing out on Jay Schell

With only one player committed for the 2028 class, Schell is not going to be a cornerstone upon which Swinney can build around. As of Tuesday afternoon, the only player committed to Clemson for 2028 would be four-star quarterback Trace Hawkins out of Calhoun, Ga. While he will do his part to get offensive players interested in Clemson, Schell could have made a huge difference on defense.

This may be a tad reactionary in the moment, but this might say more about the two head coaches in question more than anything. Swinney may be a Clemson institution and riding high after a big ACC win over UNC last week. However, the fact Matt Schell's son chose to go to Oklahoma instead of seeing if Swinney will truly have a second act at Clemson is telling. Other recruits might feel similarly.

Even if Clemson's vibes are a bit higher than Oklahoma's right now, that can change in an instant. The Tigers have a winnable road game at Cal before hosting juggernaut Miami in two weeks. While 4-1 in possible, Clemson needs to be 3-2 heading into the Charleston Southern game above all else. As for Oklahoma, the Sooners could drop their next two versus Georgia and Texas to be at a disastrous 2-3.

Overall, one recruit choosing to play for somebody else is never the end of the world. However, it should not have been as tough of a sell to get Schell to come to Clemson as it ended up being. The worst part about all this is Clemson never really seemed to have that great of a chance at landing him. He had been a slight Oklahoma lean. Now that this has gone official, Clemson will need a backup plan.

Even when prospects are trending up for Clemson, this is a reminder of where the program is truly at.

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