All Clemson

Clemson Shockingly Loses Commitment from Edge Rusher After Flip to Duke

Some more movement has taken place in the 2025 recruiting class for Clemson after they lost one of their best commits following his flip to Duke.

Brad Wakai

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney talks with media in the media room at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, Satuday, August 10, 2024.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney talks with media in the media room at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, Satuday, August 10, 2024. / Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK
In this story:

Early on in the 2025 recruiting cycle, Clemson looked to be back to their old ways, dominating the trail and landing multiple elite prospects to be part of this program for years to come.

When considering the Tigers don't utilize the transfer portal, it's even more necessary for them to recruit at a high level to ensure there is enough talent for them to compete for ACC titles and national championships.

But after their solid start, things began to fall apart for Clemson.

They lost out on multiple battles they were heavily involved in, seeing some of the best players on their target board choose other schools around the country over them.

One of their big wins, though, was gaining a commitment from four-star edge rusher Bryce Davis back in the summer, landing the Top 100 player over a bevvy of other schools who were vying for his services.

Unfortunately, he is no longer part of this class.

Shockingly, the Duke Blue Devils were able to flip the in-state product and keep him home, prying him away from Clemson in some news that will certainly send shockwaves across the recruiting trail.

This is the first major win for their new head coach Manny Diaz who departed his defensive coordinator position at Penn State to take over this program after Mike Elko was hired by Texas A&M this past offseason.

"Coach Diaz is a great guy. He is a man of faith and it came down to prayer for me. He and coach Harland Bower have stayed consistent, they are great men and I believe in what they will do with the program. Coach Diaz has a great resume. He is a defensive-minded head coach, he has developed a lot of players and I think he is the best defensive mind in football. I see Duke skyrocketing under coach Diaz. He has the mind-set, he knows what it takes and he is real personal with his players. The players will fight hard for him," Davis told Chad Simmons of On3.

Dabo Swinney and his coaching staff will have to go back to the drawing board now.

With only one edge rusher in this class, they'll have to focus on some others who remain uncommitted, or start trying to flip some past targets of their own before national signing day.

Published
Brad Wakai
BRAD WAKAI

Home/Recruiting