In the 2022 recruiting class, Clemson got four out of the top five players in the state of South Carolina. The only one who didn’t go to Clemson was Jaylen Sneed, who ended up at Notre Dame. What about this year? In the 2023 class, Dabo Swinney has gotten zero of South Carolina’s top five players to commit. In fact, three out of the top five are going to the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Beamer is Hot
Ever since the Gamecocks finished their seasons with wins over Clemson and Tennessee, they just seem to keep on winning, especially on the South Carolina recruiting front. Like I said earlier, he has already locked up three of the top five players in the state Xzavier McLeod, Markee Anderson, and Monteque Rhames.
That isn’t even everyone Shane Beamer has gotten to commit in the state. Just over a month ago, the top quarterback in the state also committed to the Gamecocks, LaNorris Sellers. They have also already started to keep their dominance of the state into the 2024 class. The nation’s top OT Kam Pringle fittingly posed with some Pringle cans to announce his commitment recently, and the other two of the state’s 2024 top five players have been crystal balled to South Carolina.
If Beamer is taking the in-state talent, where is Dabo going?
Looking at Clemson’s 2023 recruiting class, which is still ranked higher than South Carolina’s, Dabo has been hitting neighboring and other southern states hard. Only three of the 26 players who have already signed with Clemson are from in-state. The rest are mainly from Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Texas. Clearly, this is working for Dabo. However, there is still something to be said about not being able to get the kids close to you.
Who else could the Gamecocks Grab?
As for the rest of the 2023 class, I think the in-state battle is over. However, South Carolina is still in the running for one of the country’s top uncommitted players in Nyckoles Harbor. The five-star from the DC area is likely between two schools, Oregon and South Carolina. If Beamer is able to pull it off and bring Harbor home, it could catapult their class ranking above Clemson. Remember, South Carolina does not have a five-star in the 2023 class.
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Will this shift continue?
It is no secret that Clemson, while still having good seasons has seemed like they are on a decline. This is the first time Clemson did not make the playoff in back-to-back years. This could also be attributed to the fact that Dabo refuses to go into the portal or really do anything with NIL. Due to this, I think he will quickly get left behind; these next few years are Beamer’s shot to take over the state for the first time in recent memory.
