The Clemson Tigers, under head coach Dabo Swinney, have ascended to the top of the ACC by securing the best local players and luring difference-making prospects from the two most talent-rich states in the Southeast, Florida and Georgia. By limiting their recruiting scope, the Tigers have been able to successfully identify the right scheme and cultural fits which has translated to great success on the field. QB Deshaun Watson, the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, and DT Shaq Lawson, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, are the two best examples of this recruiting philosophy since Watson is a former five-star from Georgia and Lawson is a four-star, South Carolina native.

Cumulative recruiting class rankings

The Tigers’ roster boasts plenty of high-end prospects, as they have recruited the eighth most talent in the country over the last five classes. Their efforts on the trail are eclipsed only by Florida State in the ACC and they have outpaced in-state rival South Carolina, which sits nine spots below the Tigers in the cumulative class rankings.

Philosophy in action

Nearly 90 percent of Clemson’s signees between 2011-15 hail from South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida or Georgia. Prospects from the Palmetto State make up the largest percentage of recruits (42 percent), including the extremely disruptive DT Lawson and All-ACC linebacker Ben Boulware, while North Carolina has produced the second-most signees, including four starting lineman. However, the top player in all five of those classes has come from either Florida or Georgia. In addition to their Heisman finalist QB Watson, the Tigers won in the Peach State for their starting, true-freshman left tackle, five-star Mitch Hyatt and they also scored major victories in Florida for their starting, shutdown cornerback Mackenzie Alexander, a former five-star, as well as a pair of explosive high four-star wide receivers, sophomore Artavis Scott and true freshman Deon Cain. Clemson is particularly stacked with talent from Southeast on offense with seven starters hailing from Georgia or the Sunshine State.

Out-of-state pipeline

Clemson has struck gold in Florida and Georgia, but has actually recruited more players from North Carolina. Since South Carolina is only the 13th-most talent-rich state for prospects, Clemson has extended its reach across its northern border in order to more than double access to Power 5-caliber recruits. The returns have been promising, including All-ACC performers, OG Eric Mac Lain and DT Carlos Watkins, as well as former star OLB Stephone Anthony, who was selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Recruits who exceed expectations

Despite being rated as a four-star prospect, Wayne Gallman was evaluated as an athlete because he looked more like a linebacker and was difficult to project to the next level. However, he has quickly become one of the top backs in the country and an All-ACC performer, rushing for over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns as a redshirt sophomore. On the other side of the ball, linebacker B.J. Goodson, who had similar size to Gallman coming out of high school, has developed into an All-ACC performer. The two-year starter currently leads the Tigers in tackles and has come a long way from being an unheralded three-star recruit from a small town.

Signature recruit now in the NFL

For nearly two decades, Clemson was an afterthought in the ACC because they failed to win the conference or tally a 10-win season from 1992-2010. The tide began to change in January 2008 when defensive end Da’Quan Bowers became the first No. 1 overall player in the country to sign with Clemson. With his signature, the Tigers established themselves as a force on the trail and a legitimate destination for elite recruits. The recruitment of Bowers was also a significant victory for the recruiting coordinator at the time, Dabo Swinney, who would go on to be promoted to head coach in the middle of the 2008 season. Although Bowers never won the ACC while on campus, his decision increased the national profile of Clemson and paved the way for the Tigers unprecedented success under Swinney over the last five seasons.