Friday, the Clemson football program got some unfortunate news on the recruiting trail. Graceson Littleton, a 4-star defensive back from Tampa, Florida announced that he is decomitting from the Tigers 2025 recruiting class and opening his options back up.
The highly-rated prospect had been committed to the Tigers since June. His departure dropped Clemson's current recruiting class ranking from No. 17 nationally to No. 22 according to 247Sports.com.
With the early signing window opening next month, the Tigers have a very small class right now. Only 13 players are currently committed to head coach Dabo Swinney's program.
Typically, Swinney does a great job of holding onto recruits who have pledged to play for him. However, in the current recruiting cycle, a handful of potentially impactful players have walked back their commitments to the Tigers. Along with Littleton, that group includes three-star offensive lineman Jaylan Beckley, four-star quarterback Blake Hebert, four-star defensive lineman Isaiah Campbell, and four-star edge rusher Bryce Davis.
BREAKING: Top100 cornerback Graceson Littleton tells me he has decommitted from #Clemson.
— Tom Loy (@TomLoy247) November 1, 2024
He will visit #Michigan this weekend. #Texas also offered and he is looking to line up a trip there as well.
👀 https://t.co/27NXtzpuog@GrayLittleton @247Sports pic.twitter.com/Cy0r3dyhBX
What's more, Littleton's decision leaves Clemson with only one defensive back recruit in the current recruiting class. That is safety Tae Harris, a 4-star recruit from Georgia.
Littleton is a big loss for the Tigers. He's rated as the No. 75 overall player and No. 9 corner in the nation by the 247Sports.com composite rankings. Tom Loy of 247Sports.com reports on X that Michigan is a school to watch in Littleton's recruitment and that Littleton will be visiting Ann Arbor this weekend to see the Wolverines take on No. 1 Oregon.
The good news for Clemson is that there are plenty of young and emerging cornerbacks currently on the Tiger's roster. Of the ten players listed corners on the roster, eight are either freshmen or sophomores. That means that Littleton's decision won't cripple the Tigers.
Still, this is a significant loss for Swinney and Co., especially given how small the current recruiting class is. It will be interesting to see if the coaching staff is able to bring in another recruit to fill Littleton's shoes.