Clemson HC Dabo Swinney On 2022 Recruiting Class: 'We Get Guys We're Supposed to Get'

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney met with the media on Wednesday to discuss the Tigers' 2022 recruiting class, as the program signed eight new players on National Signing Day.

CLEMSON- The 2022 recruiting cycle has come to a close for the Clemson Tigers.

Dabo Swinney's program added three more players to the class on Wednesday, making it one of Clemson's more active National Signing Day's in recent memory.

"Great day for us," Swinney said on Wednesday afternoon. "This has been a little more action for us today than we've had the last few years. Signed half our class in December, and the rest today, it's been a fun day celebrating another really good group for us."

The year's recruiting class had a little more drama than the program has become accustomed to over the years. With Brent Venables leaving for Oklahoma and taking some of the support staff with him, four defensive players decommitted just before the early signing period began in December, leaving the coaching staff with some unexpected needs to fill over the past few weeks.

However, despite all the coaching turnover and the subsequent decommitments, Swinney is pleased with how things worked out and is confident the Tigers got the players they were supposed to get.

"Every year we go through, we always have specific needs, objectives," Swinney said. "And it's always a process and there's lots of twists and turns as you go through the process every single year, always has been. But we get guys we're supposed to get. Thankful for that. But the objective is to add talent and depth to your roster. It's always critical to fill your specific needs that you have and I think this class has been able to do that."

After the late afternoon addition of linebacker T.J. Dudley, the Tigers' 2022 class consists of 20 players, plus quarterback Hunter Johnson, who is transferring back to Clemson after spending the past four seasons at Northwestern. Ten states are represented in the class, something Swinney noted as a sign of how strong the program's brand is on a national level.

"Ten states represented in this class," Swinney said. "So again, just think our brand continues to be strong and attract interest from all over the country. Certainly, we do everything here from the inside out, and started right here in the state of South Carolina."

"Signed two quarterbacks, a running back, two offensive linemen, a tight end, three receivers, two defensive linemen, two-three linebackers, depending on what happens today. A couple of safeties, three corners, a kicker and a punter. So we really kind of touched all the bases that we needed to touch in this class, for sure."

With the recruiting cycle now coming to a close, Swinney is happy with the newest additions to the class and the head coach is extremely confident that his team got better on Wednesday.

"Should put our class in that 20 to 21 range, which really is just what we need, you know, to address our needs," Swinney said. "Also going to add 11 really, really good walk-on players, I think all have the potential to help us, contribute to our team. But as always, times will tell but I do believe this group will be another special group that will help us continue to be a great group on and off the field in everything that we do, and help us to continue to be consistent in everything that we do."

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