Georgia has been pipeline for Clemson football recruiting

CLEMSON — Throughout his tenure, Dabo Swinney has turned Georgia into a pipeline state for the Clemson football program.

In the last five recruiting classes, Clemson has signed 28 players from Georgia and will enter the 2021 season with 24 players from the Peach State on the roster. The Tigers need to consistently recruit this area hard to reach their ceiling yearly.

In-state players will always be a valuable part of the roster, and Clemson is a national brand that recruits throughout the United States. But recruiting backbones are still needed. The state of Georgia provides that.

Atlanta

Atlanta produces a ton of high-quality football players. Since Kirby Smart arrived in Athens, the University of Georgia has made things more difficult, but there is plenty of talent available to build good football teams. In the 2022 class alone, the state has 20 of the top-200 prospects, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Metro Atlanta is where teams will find a lot of these players, and Clemson has had success in this area. The Tigers have pulled a five-star recruit out of Atlanta or its suburbs in four straight classes — Trevor Lawrence, Andrew Booth Jr., Myles Murphy, Barrett Carter — with many others joining them. Lawrence and high four-star A.J. Terrell turned into first-round NFL Draft picks. Booth and Murphy could join that group soon.

In the 2021 haul, Clemson brought in four players from Metro Atlanta. Carter has high expectations, while Nate Wiggins, Dacari Collins, and Phil Mafah will all have a chance to contribute as true freshmen.

Proximity

From Downtown Atlanta to Memorial Stadium is only 119 miles. That is only a two-hour drive to get to Clemson’s campus. To get to Sanford Stadium on Georgia’s campus from Downtown Atlanta, the drive is just over 72 miles. There’s not much of a difference.

The proximity is a huge selling point for the Clemson coaching staff. Players can get home to see their families fairly easily, while families can make the trip to watch these young men play in a short day’s drive. This also pays off in the recruiting process as Clemson can easily get these players to campus thanks to the easy travel distance.

All of this adds up to equal a solid foundation to build a recruiting pipeline.

Draft results

Deshaun Watson helped boost Clemson’s recruiting efforts in Georgia. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

The recruiting climb for Clemson in Atlanta and Georgia overall has been slow, but steady. The Tigers continue to become a force in the region thanks to some very solid draft results. Austin Bryant, Tremayne Anchrum, Wayne Gallman and Grady Jarrett have all turned into draft picks at Clemson, but Deshaun Watson becoming a first-round pick out of Gainesville (Ga.) High has accelerated the climb.

Since the 2017 NFL Draft, Clemson has had a ton of luck with some top-100 recruits, with a couple turning into draft picks. With a few more on the way, the Tigers continue to have a major recruiting presence in the Peach State.