Despite years of denying any attempts at the NIL game, Clemson fully embraced the financial process.
Clemson Changes Stance, Starts Attracting Blue Chip Prospects
Looking at the ever-evolving landscape of college football, Clemson corrected course. For years, the university, with Dabo Swinney, the head football coach, leading the way, didn’t dip a toe in the financial waters.
After several lackluster seasons by their standards, the football program underwent a recent, massive overhaul. The axiom about keeping up with the metaphorical Joneses took on a vastly different and serious tone. Steve Wiltfong of On3.com cited specific examples and made the case for a Tigers revival, stating:
“Dabo Swinney and his Tigers program picked up five weekend commits in rising to No. 7 in the On3 Industry Recruiting Rankings.
The ACC Powerhouse finished No. 23 a cycle ago, and it’s been since 2021 when they last finished in the top 10, a haul that finished No. 5 nationally.
Touted offensive lineman Chancellor Barclay announced his pledge on Sunday night joining fellow four-stars in offensive linemen Adam Guthrie and Grant Wise and receiver Naeem Burroughs and Connor Salmin.
Land some of the other names on campus over the weekend, and Clemson will have a chance to sign one of the top classes in America in 2026.”
With such a rise, you can see Swinney at work. In essence, what made the Tigers a formidable program in the mid-to-late 2010s? Offensive playmakers. Swinney, a former Alabama in his own right, pursued starting talent with a vengeance.
Even though quarterbacks like Tahj Boyd and Trevor Lawrence keyed the renaissance in Pickens County, making the team a legitimate threat in every aspect works better.
Furthermore, depth and talent beyond the starters protect the program from injury and transfer. To hear the recruits tell, Clemson’s approach became a revolution. For instance, blue-chip linebacker Tyler Atkinson extolled the school’s virtues:
“What really stood out to me was the ‘AtkNup Plan’ they put together for me. They showed me in detail their vision for me there, from getting my degree in three years, my role in the defense that Coach (Tom) Allen is bringing, and how they can help grow my brand to everything else. They really made me feel like the top priority.”
The Plan in Action
How did Clemson start landing more talent in such a short time? Hiring Kevin Kelly, a longtime NFL executive, looks like the smartest move in recent team history. Kelly became the Director of Player Evaluation & Acquisition last month.
In layman’s terms, he assigns an NIL value to talent. From there, he will extend an offer that meets or exceeds the ones from other schools. Basically, Clemson gives him parameters and what the program needs most and tasks Kelly with signing them.
Under those circumstances, neither the athletic director nor the head coach will ever need to run the numbers.
KEEP READING: Clemson Strengthens Defensive Depth in a 2026 Recruiting Hot Streak
Clemson went all out to procure talent. They saw the successes that Alabama, Texas, and Ohio State enjoyed in the NIL era, so why not them? Yet, somewhere along the way, Swinney came to grips with the fact that coaching up players would never win another championship in this time and place.
Taking an old-school approach wilts when opponents can meet and then exceed your talent level. After losing out on talent for years, the damn broke somewhere for the Tigers. Change for change’s sake does not help a college football program.
However, Clemson developed a plan and then started to execute it, showing signs of organizational growth and will place the school in a far better place for the year.
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