Signing day shocker at Clemson

By Bob Wilson  |   Thursday, February 08, 2007  |  Comments( 12 )

Clemson Tigers
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Last year, Clemson football signed running back C.J. Spiller at the last minute after many had him attending either Florida or Florida State. This year, the school received an unpleasant surprise on national signing day.

It isn't unusual for a verbal commit to change his mind at the last minute, but it isn't common that a school's advisory board determines that a young man who is academically eligible is off limits the day before signing day.

That is exactly what happened at Clemson. Wide receiver Dwight Jones, a highly sought-after prospect, was set to be a Tiger until the Clemson coaches were told the school could not sign Jones. Apparently, this decision was made the day before signing day, leaving head coach Tommy Bowden and his staff no time to go after other recruits.

Jones originally was committed to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. However, after the coaching staff was fired, the Burlington, N.C., native backed off. The Tigers' coaches believed he was coming to Clemson.

However, the advisory board decided that Jones and a few other potential recruits were not to be pursued. This decision was made despite the fact that the talented wideout met both NCAA and ACC academic entrance and eligibility standards. For lack of a better phrase, the Clemson coaches are being forced to recruit with one arm tied behind their backs.

When North Carolina can offer a scholarship to a football player that Clemson can't, something is amiss. For years UNC, Duke and the University of Virginia looked down their respective noses at the Tigers, flaunting their self-perceived intellectual superiority. To them, Clemson was a farmers' college that didn't deserve to be included with the academic schools of the ACC. Now, though, Chapel Hill has offered a scholarship to a player Clemson has ruled out as too risky.

Perhaps the worst part of this story for Clemson is that the coaches didn't seem to know that their targets were going to be rejected by the advisory board until one day prior to signing day. This would not happen at the Southern Cal's, Florida's or Oklahoma's of the world. Those schools get the players they want because they are committed to winning.

While Clemson doesn't need to take partial qualifiers, there is no reason to turn away prospects who are academically qualified. The administration says it isn't happy with mediocre football and Bowden is probably back on the "hot seat," but hamstringing the coach can't help matters.

Daily Clemson Tigers coverage, courtesy of RealFootball365.com
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CommentsComments: 12  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
cu90		10:15 AM
02/08/2007
Becky Bowman and her anti football program mentality must go. The NCAA sets the standards and most top 25 schools barely even...
No.2
Bill R		11:02 AM
02/08/2007
More and More Clemson backers are coming to the conclusion that there needs to be a total house cleaning at Clemson very soon....
No.3
JOJO		11:03 AM
02/08/2007
I guess this goes to show that discrimination is still alive and well in the state of S.C. To qualify by the NCAA and the ACC...
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