CLEMSON — With Clemson football‘s struggles this season, there could be a trickle-down effect on its recruiting classes.
The Tigers (3-5, 2-4 ACC) are fighting to be bowl eligible, needing to win three of their final four games to reach six wins after entering the year as a national championship contender. Clemson hosts Florida State (4-4, 1-4 ACC) on Nov. 8 (7 p.m. ET, ACC Network) at Memorial Stadium next.
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The Tigers are enduring their worst eight-game start of Clemson coach Dabo Swinney‘s 17 full seasons.
With Swinney saying, “if Clemson’s tired of winning, they can send me on my way, but I’m gonna go somewhere else and coach” in September and jokingly expressing he could get fired this season after losing to Duke, 247Sports national analyst Brandon Huffman said recruits could go elsewhere.
“With him continuing to kind of refuse to pivot to where college football has gone in 2025 and now with the lack of on-field success with the expectations really cratering this season, you see a guy who looks like he’s worn out,” Huffman said on CBS Sports HQ on Nov. 3.
“There might be a change of scenery that would be better for both parties. As a result of that, that’s going to impact the underclass recruits and that may even have an impact on the 2026 recruits if he decides to part ways with Clemson after the season.”
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Where Clemson football recruiting class ranks in 2026
Clemson’s 2026 recruiting class is No. 16 nationally (fourth in the ACC) with 20 recruits, including 10 four-stars, nine three-star commits and one player who isn’t rated. Four-star offensive lineman Leo Delaney is Clemson’s highest-rated recruit.
It is a complete change from last year’s cycle, which finished with 15 signees and ranked 26th nationally. It was Swinney’s lowest-rated cycle since 2010 and his smallest class since 2017 after suffering seven decommitments.
As Clemson’s losses mounted this season though, the Tigers have suffered three decommitments in the 2026 class, losing four-star defensive linemen Keshawn Stancil and Dre Quinn and three-star safety Blake Stewart.
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Early signing day is Dec. 3.
How Dabo Swinney responded to Clemson decommitments
Swinney was asked Oct. 29 about Quinn and Stewart’s decommitments.
“Got no thoughts. Just onward we go,” Swinney said.
Other commits have reasserted their commitments to Clemson, including four-star safety Kentavion Anderson and four-star offensive lineman Adam Guthrie.
“WHY ALL THE CLEMSON FANS BASHING THE TEAM AND COACHES (cause) OF ONE BAD SEASON ?! IDC I’M A TIGER 4EVA WIN OR LOSE,” Anderson posted on X on Oct. 18.
Four four-star Tigers recruits posted “recruitment shutdown” posts on social media entering the 2025 season, signaling they intend to sign with Clemson on national signing day and are no longer listening to overtures from programs hoping to flip their commitments.
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Wide receiver Naeem Burroughs, cornerback Shavar Young Jr. and Anderson all have kept their promise, while Stancil flipped his commitment to Miami.
MORE: What Dabo Swinney said about call from Deion Sanders before Clemson vs FSU game
Will Dabo Swinney be Clemson football coach in 2026?
Swinney has reasserted he is committed to turning Clemson around. He is confident Clemson can get back to winning a championship again as the Tigers’ losses have increased from one in 2019 to two in 2020 to three in 2021 and 2022 to four in 2023 and 2024 to five this season.
Swinney said he feels he’s gotten away from his “instincts” and he wants to get back to that. He added instincts include recruiting, pursuing high school players who don’t typically stand out like defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and linebacker Jonathan “Tig” Willard to pair with blue-chip prospects.
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“There aren’t any cracks in this foundation. This house is built on solid ground,” Swinney said. “Now, we got some people that ain’t put their best stuff in it, but we gotta be better, and I gotta make sure we get the right people in the house.”
What is Dabo Swinney’s buyout from Clemson?
If Clemson were to fire Swinney “without cause,” the school would owe him $60 million this season as part of his buyout.
If Swinney were to take another college job, he would owe Clemson $4 million. If he were to take the Alabama job, his alma mater, he would owe Clemson $6 million.
Swinney would not owe any money if he accepted an NFL head coach position as long as he or his agent “notify” Clemson athletic director Graham Neff prior to discussions for other employment.
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Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson football recruiting impact in Dabo Swinney’s worst season
