Dabo Swinney Not Overly Concerned About Negative Recruiting Against Clemson

When asked about teams negatively recruiting against Clemson, head coach Dabo Swinney's response was quite clear.

CLEMSON, S.C.- Recruiting is the lifeblood of any major college football program.

However, recruiting can be a cut-throat world, meaning at some point in time, every successful coach will encounter negative recruiting, and Dabo Swinney and Clemson are no exception.

While it's a part of the game, Swinney maintains that if opposing coaches are currently using negative recruiting against his program, it's something that isn't hurting the Tigers, as Clemson's current recruiting class ranks sixth in the country.

“I think we’re recruiting pretty good, so they ain’t negative enough, I don’t guess," Swinney said. "Again, it’s one of those things you don’t control. I mean, just be who you are. Focus on being who you are, and be transparent. I think we’re doing alright recruiting.”

The Tigers also finished with the eighth best class in 2022, despite having multiple decommitments after the departure of Brent Venables for Oklahoma. That success can be traced back to the family-like, team-first culture that Swinney has cultivated inside the program, and the transparent approach he and the rest of his coaching staff take toward recruiting.

“No different than it’s been since I’ve been here,” Swinney said. “Just looking for teams and families that value what we offer. The same philosophy that we’ve always had, no different. We’re right where we’ve always been. Probably by Sept. 1, we’ll be percentage-wise, where we’ve always been, as far as the completion of the class.”

The Tigers routinely offer far fewer players than most, something that has in turn given an offer from the school more meaning and it's that approach that has allowed Clemson to maintain a high level of success on the recruiting trail. 

“Honestly, we just kept the main thing the main thing,” Swinney said. “We don’t offer a lot of guys. I think we’re the fourth fewest offers in the country. We don’t try to be all things to all people. We believe in who we are and how we do things. I think the more chaotic it’s gotten, the better it’s been for us from a recruiting standpoint. Excited about where we are.”

Clemson is listed at +800 to win the national championship, according to odds on FanDuel Sportsbook. 

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