Clemson’s recruiting is winning outside its traditional territory

By Marc Hudgens  |   Monday, May 26, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

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The Clemson Tigers have experienced great success with their recruiting classes recently, landing some high-potential players who could make big impacts in the future, and the school is garnering notice for it.

“Anytime you're bringing in four- and five-star guys, which Clemson is doing, it shows you they're going after elite athletes and winning battles,” college recruiting expert Allen Wallace told Larry Williams of the Charleston (S.C.) Post & Courier. “It's especially impressive because they're going out of state to do so."

No head coach with any common sense wants to give up the program’s traditional recruiting stomping grounds, especially the home state. That said, there comes a time when a growing program must step onto the national stage while keeping the other foot securely at home in order to grow the program. With globalization at everyone’s fingertips, it’s an absolute must if there are championship aspirations. And Clemson is doing just that.

The Tigers' staff has made headway on that hot, endless trail the past four years: Rivals ranked Clemson’s 2005 recruiting class No. 17 nationally, 15th in ’06, 16th in ’07, and 12th this year. Barring any unforeseen de-commitments, head coach Tommy Bowden’s 2009 class appears poised for a top-10 ranking. And a key ingredient in this success has been the ability to enter into foreign recruiting lands and succeed.

Clemson has gone head to head versus monster programs and won. The most recent example is the landing of a verbal commitment from Craig Loston, an Aldine, Texas, native and the No. 1 safety in the nation; he's the crown jewel of Bowden’s 2009 recruiting class. Clemson beat such heavies as Florida, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and USC for Loston's services.

This isn’t the first time the Tigers sneaked in and stole one from the big boys, though. In 2008 they signed Jarrett Crittenton of Big Ten/Big XII country (Wahpeton, N.D.), Rivals’ No. 10-rated JuCo defensive end in the nation, beating out Kansas State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Wisconsin and Arkansas. In 2006 they signed Jamie Cumbie of Morris, Ill., Rivals’ ninth-ranked strongside defensive end in America, knocking off Illinois, Northwestern, Notre Dame and Purdue.

As of now, the Tigers aren't exactly showing any signs of stopping: Non-territory prospects on their current list include Ryan Mossakowski, (a Texan who's the No. 6-ranked pro-style QB), Jerimiah Tofaeono (offensive tackle from North Las Vegas), and Rolando Jefferson (a Californian who's the fifth-rated receiver).

Clemson has proven it can go into other recruiting worlds and win top prospects. Obviously, then, the belief that far-away players are automatically not attainable because believed to be branded the property of the Texases, Notre Dames or USCs of the college landscape is simply incorrect. In this day and age, all top players are signable for programs that go after them honestly and diligently, and it appears Clemson is becoming successful at that.

Clemson defensive coordinator Vic Koenning summed up the recruiting philosophy in an exclusive April interview with RF365 when he said, “If you don’t swing to hit it out, you’ll never hit home runs.”

The Tigers likely won’t hit it out every single time, but they’re stepping up to the plate quite often; that’s the first step.
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About Marc Hudgens

Marc Hudgens has been with RealFootball365 since 2007, covering college football, specifically Clemson and Oregon. He also writes for SouthernPigskin.com covering the ACC. He enjoys the acidic wit of Hunter S. Thompson, is a freelance graphic designer and has written several screenplays. He...
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