Swinney Teases Return of Draft-Eligible Tigers

During his press conference for the early signing period, the Clemson head coach hinted that multiple Tigers who the staff thought would move on to the NFL are apparently sticking around for another season. But who?

Dabo Swinney let the cat out of the bag on Wednesday. 

Well, sort of. During his press conference for the early signing period, the Clemson head coach hinted that multiple Tigers who the staff thought would move on to the NFL are apparently sticking around for another season. 

"We've got some guys coming back that we didn't know were coming back that I promise you will be the best recruits in this class," Swinney said. "I'm super excited about that.

"There were some surprises to me. I don't know that y'all know about things. I don't know that some of them have said anything but at some point, they will." 

So what does this mean? Who is on that list?

Right now, it's hard to say. Three defensive linemen with collegiate eligibility remaining - KJ Henry, Ruke Orhorhoro and Tyler Davis - have accepted invites to the Reese's Senior Bowl, a big NFL scouting event that takes place in early February. If they show up that week, that's declaring for the draft and they can't return to school. 

Davis said publically that he hasn't made a decision yet on his future. Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, who has played in just 13 games combined the last two seasons, hasn't said yet if he's going pro or coming back to Clemson. 

Xavier Thomas, a senior defensive end who missed most of this year with a broken foot, has his redshirt season still available and could be a prime candidate to return. 

Defensive end Justin Mascoll, cornerback Sheridan Jones and receiver Joseph Ngata are all seniors with remaining eligibility who haven't announced their intentions. 

"We've got several guys that we thought would be leaving Clemson that are going to stay at Clemson," Swinney said. "That's also a sign when you see guys could go ahead and go to the pros, all this stuff that's going on in college football, to chose to want to stay I think shows how they feel about Clemson, how they feel about their coaches and who we are as a program."

Defensive end Myles Murphy and linebacker Trenton Simpson are the only two Tigers to announce that they are going pro. 

College players have until Jan. 16 to enter the 2023 NFL Draft. It's likely the public won't know who Swinney is referring to until after the No. 7 Tigers' Dec. 30 Orange Bowl game against No. 6 Tennessee. 

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