People who doubted Dabo Swinney and Clemson football have been looking pretty ridiculous these days. The legendary ball coach and his program have been trending in the right direction for the past half-year, dating back to that ACC title game victory and subsequent playoff berth.
Unfortunately, the Tigers were bounced by Texas in the College Football Playoff, but Swinney knew he had a great roster returning in 2025 to finish the job.
In fact, the two-time national title-winning head coach returned the most production of any team in the Power Four for the 2025 season. On top of that, he's actually fared well in the portal this offseason despite grabbing just three transfers and he's recruiting at an elite level again.
Don't believe me? Just look at the start of his 2026 class. It's ranked No. 5 in the country.
And he's nowhere near done.
On Tuesday afternoon, Swinney and the Tigers received an On3 futurecast to land four-star offensive lineman Carter Scruggs from Virginia.
Clemson has received a 🔮 for 4 ⭐️ OT Carter Scruggs 👀🐅 pic.twitter.com/9UIaxnABKA
— Adam (@adamdropsbombs) May 13, 2025
Scruggs is one of the best offensive linemen in the 2026 class and he has some elite programs pursuing him. Georgia, Penn State, Michigan, and Oklahoma are all high on his list and he's expected to visit all but the Sooners officially this summer. He may still plan an official to Oklahoma but it's not scheduled yet. Scruggs will be at Clemson on May 30.
Getting the first visit is nice, but the Tigers will have to hope they make a major impression or get him to commit on the spot because Michigan, Penn State, and Georgia are tough to beat.
Scruggs is ranked the No. 158 recruit in the 2026 class as well as the 10th-best interior offensive lineman (although he's listed as a tackle), per 247Sports. He holds 32 offers.