South Carolina play-by-play announcer Todd Ellis said Clemson was “cycling out.” Some Florida State fans are hoping all the winning ends soon.
The fact of the matter is neither is going to happen. Clemson is not cycling out and the wins will continue to pile up for a program that has already won two of the last three national championships and has made it to the College Football Playoff in each of the last four years.
This past weekend, Clemson landed two commitments from two of the best players in the country, and oh, by the way, it also landed the commitment from the nation’s No. 1 defensive player the week before.
Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, the nation’s No.1 overall prospect according to Rivals, committed to Clemson on Sunday, on the heels of the commitment of 5-star running back Demarkcus Bowman, who committed to the Tigers last Friday. Defensive linemen Bryan Bresee, the nation’s top-ranked prospect according to 247Sports, did the same on April 23.
Clemson currently has nation’s top recruiting class for 2020, with four 5-star commitments and ten 4-stars. No one in Clemson’s 2020 class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, is ranked below No. 34 nationally at their position. The majority of its committed players are ranked in the top 10 nationally in each of their positions.
Dabo Swinney and his staff are doing a tremendous job building off the brand they have created. Dabo’s Dynasty continues to grow in “Little Ole Clemson” much to the chagrin of its competitors. Clemson football has never been this high before.
Since 2011, the Tigers are 97-15, an .866-win percentage. They’ve won five ACC Championships, played in three national championship games and have beaten the best-of-the-best multiple times.
Swinney quietly has built a giant in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Western South Carolina.
To assure that Swinney is happy here, the Clemson administration awarded him with the largest contract in the history of college football on April 26. Swinney is expected to make $93 million, not including incentives or retention bonuses, over the next 10 years.
When he was asked about his contract last week in Florence, Swinney joked about his age compared to other established or national championship coaches and said, “I could be here another 20 years if it all goes well.”
Can you imagine what Clemson would be like if Swinney stays another 20 years, matching the 30 years Frank Howard coached at Clemson? There is no telling how many wins, ACC and National Championships this program can accumulate.
After signing Trevor Lawrence, Xavier Thomas, Justyn Ross and K.J. Henry in the 2018 Class, followed by last year’s top 10 class and now possibly the No. 1 class in the country, some are predicting the Tigers to win at least another three national titles over the next decade.
It does not appear like Clemson is cycling out. It just tells me Swinney is not just giving us coach speak. It tells me, “the best is yet to come” at Clemson.