Clemson Tigers Continue To Drop in College Football Recruiting Class Rankings

The Clemson Tigers standing among the other college football teams continues to slip in the recruiting class rankings.

Aug 31, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney reacts after officials reversed a pass interference call against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second quarter of the 2024 Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. / Ken Ruinard - Imagn Images

How the Clemson Tigers go about filling their roster differs from virtually every other program in the country.

Dabo Swinney does not use the transfer portal, as they are one of the only teams without an incoming transfer on the roster. To remain competitive in the ACC and against other powerhouse foes, they need to hit home runs in high school recruiting.

That is something the Tigers have been good at in recent years. They are consistently landing top-rated recruits, as several five-star payers litter their roster.

Their track record of sending players to the next level speaks for itself, as that is as attractive to a high school athlete with professional aspirations as winning collegiately.

Alas, there is some work to do with their 2025 recruiting class.

Clemson currently ranks No. 23, per Craig Haubert of ESPN. That number is heading in the wrong direction as they were 19th in his previous update.

Helping buoy that class is running back Gideon Davison, the highest-ranked offensive player that the Tigers have received a commitment from.

“Despite ranking just 15th for the 2024 cycle, the Tigers have already checked several boxes in 2025 with big commitments at multiple positions. Gideon Davidson and in-state prospect Marquise Henderson are a pair of key running back pledges. Davidson, a top-five running back, runs with a nice blend of size, speed and power. He posted impressive numbers as a junior, rushing for 2,700 yards and 43 touchdowns. Henderson is more slightly built at roughly 5-10, 170 pounds, but has explosive, big-play speed. He rushed for more than 2,300 yards as a junior,” Haubert wrote.

With Phil Mafah in his senior season, the backfield should be in good hands even if he departs with Davidson and Henderson joining the mix. It is more weapons for Cade Klubnik to take advantage of as he is living up to his five-star status thus far in 2024.

On the defensive side of the ball, Clemson has consistently been stout under Swinney. That will not change as they have landed several very talented players to help keep things moving in the right direction on that side of the ball.

“Clemson landed several defensive linemen ranked in the ESPN 300. Ari Watford is a lengthy player with good initial quickness who can develop into a disruptive edge rusher. In the trenches, Clemson landed defensive tackle Amare Adams, the top-ranked player in South Carolina. One-time Georgia commit Tae Harris is a nice addition to the secondary. He projects to safety, but he's versatile enough to play corner. He posted some of the top numbers on the spring camp circuit, including a blazing 4.38 40-yard dash,” Haubert added.

Expect the Tigers to continue hitting the high school recruiting trail hard. Unless Swinney is going to change his approach to the transfer portal, this is the only path to adding talent to the roster.