Clemson vs South Carolina Recruiting: Should Tigers Fans be Worried?
Recruiting in 2023 is all about flexing. Heck, Middle Tennessee State just received "championship" rings for their Hawaii Bowl win that feature not just the score from that game, but also the 45-31 score from their regular season win over Miami. Schools flex with their facilities, with their trophy rooms, and with social media—anything they can do to get the high schoolers they're recruiting to view them as the best.
That's why it's no surprise to see so much attention paid to South Carolina's in-state recruiting success. The Gamecocks currently hold commitments from two of the top four recruits in the state per 247: offensive lineman Kam Pringle out of Woodland and wide receiver Mazeo Bennett out of Greenville. South Carolina is also the favorite to land the other two in the top four: tackle Josiah Thompson out of Dillon and safety Kelvin Hunter out of West Florence. Currently, the Gamecocks' 2024 class is ranked 8th in 247's Composite Rankings, while Clemson is down at 17th.
4-star wide receiver Braylon Staley pictured with Clemson wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham
So should Clemson fans be concerned? Is South Carolina primed to supplant Clemson as the top team in the state? Slow your roll. While it's true that South Carolina has seen a big surge under head coach Shane Beamer, Clemson is still the standard. And while the Gamecocks have had more success in-state than the Tigers have, Clemson has a much bigger national reach.
As things currently stand, Clemson has zero commitments from a South Carolina high school player. They had just three last year in the class of 2023. They did however sign three of the top ten players out of the state of Alabama in last year's class: 5-star Peter Woods, and 4-stars Tomarrion Parker and Christopher Vizzina.
Clemson is a national brand. Their starting quarterback this year, Cade Klubnik, is from Texas. Their two All-American caliber linebackers, Barrett Carter and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. are from Georgia and Pennsylvania respectively. Sure, the Tigers are 17th in 247's recruiting, but Alabama is 18th. Does anyone think they'll be there when it's all said and done? Probably not.