I'm not reaching...and I'm stating facts.
I've already said "we all know every school around (including the two in state big programs) have to recruit outside the state."
I've also stated that SC HS players have historically fed neighboring Universities with huge talent....those that didn't go to SC or CU. So, I don't give a d@mn about a top 200 or 300. The state and its HS makeup is one of the better ones for easily finding talent (harder to hide it) AND even in "low talent " years the state produces a lot of D1 talent. So, like I say...if Clemson wanted SC HS players on their campus with scholarships in hand they would find them. Plenty of CUs roster are middling 3 stars from out of state. Again....SC has plenty of those every year, and Clemson has chosen to overlook them and go elsewhere. THAT is a fact.
Its coinicidence but here's an article from today that supports your and my thoughts about the in state recruiting. This breaks down Clemson recruiting since CDS took over, courtesy of Tiger Illustrated Rivals site.
Going national
Larry Williams • TigerIllustrated
Senior Writer
CLEMSON | Even when he and his program were considered small potatoes,
Dabo Swinney was talking big.
"I'm not interested in being second," he said. "I'm not interested in just winning this conference. I'm interested in being the very best that there is in college football."
This didn't come after a landmark win over LSU in 2012, or a statement-making win over Ohio State a year later.
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It came with Clemson's program barely a month removed from a no-account loss to South Florida in a no-account bowl, which was a month removed from a Death Valley beatdown at the hands of South Carolina.
Swinney wanted to move on from the anguish of a 6-7 mark in his second full season as head coach, and a stellar 2011 recruiting class gave reason for those on the outside to take notice.
Clemson four-star defensive end commit Cade Denhoff of Lakeland, Fla.
That's really when it all got going, a moment that is now crystallized as the first sign that this big dreamer had some substance to the grand vision he was outlining.
"We can recruit with anybody," he said that day. "And I said that when I came here. When everybody told me I was wasting my time recruiting
C.J.
(
Spiller
), I had a hard time understanding that. I've never been one to listen to people that tell me you can't do something. Because I know you can. You know the old saying: 'Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right.'
"And I know that we can recruit the best of the best. And what you saw today doesn't surprise me at all. When you have the right kind of men in place like we have here, and the right kind of resources and genuineness, you're going to get more than your share."
The big story that year was Clemson's ability to dip into the state of Florida to nab
Sammy Watkins
,
Tony Steward
,
Mike Bellamy
and
Cortez Davis
.
Nine years ago, that's what constituted impressive reach for a program that hadn't won 10 games in two decades.
Five-star Clemson defensive end commit Korey Foreman will head into the Spring Evaluation Period still billed as the nation's top-rated recruit by Rivals.com. (TrojanSports.com)
Shifting to the present, the definition of reach and branding has been completely changed as it's hard to conceive of a College Football Playoff without the Tigers in it.
The best demonstration of the enhanced power of the Paw might come with a comparison of those days compared to these days.
As in, the geography of Swinney's first four recruiting classes compared to his last four plus the nine commitments for 2021.
That 2011 class, which ranked No. 8 nationally according to
Rivals.com, featured players from six states outside of South Carolina.
The most recent class, which ranks No. 2 nationally, features players from 11 states outside of the Palmetto State and from as far away as California and Texas.
The most significant shift in recruiting focus has come within South Carolina. Swinney's four classes from 2009 to 2012 featured 37 players from within the state's borders, and that's not counting players signed and placed in prep school.
In the past four classes plus the still-evolving 2021 class, just 10 players have come from the Palmetto State.
Four-star wide receiver and longtime Clemson commit Dacari Collins of Atlanta, Ga. (Rivals.com)
Here's a breakdown by state (and the District of Columbia) of the prospects from the former and the latter:
2009-12
South Carolina: 37
North Carolina: 12
Georgia: 10
Virginia: 8
Florida: 6
Alabama: 5
Tennessee: 2
Arkansas: 1
Delaware: 1
Minnessota: 1
New York: 1
Ohio: 1
2017-21
Georgia: 23
Florida: 17
South Carolina: 10
Alabama: 5
North Carolina: 5
Tennessee: 5
California: 4
Maryland: 3
Virginia: 3
Louisiana: 2
Missouri: 2
Ohio: 2
Pennsylvania: 2
Connecticut: 1
District of Columbia: 1
Indiana: 1
Kentucky: 1
Michigan: 1
New Jersey: 1
Texas: 1
So that's 11 percent of the prospects coming from within the state's borders in recent years, compared to 43.5 percent in Swinney's first four classes.
Rivals100 defensive tackle and Clemson signee DeMonte Capehart began his prep career in South Carolina but the Hartsville native would finish his high school career in the state of Florida. (Rivals.com)
From 2009 to 2012, Clemson pulled from 11 different states outside of South Carolina. Over the past four classes, that number has been 19.
And while it's undoubtedly smart to capitalize on the increased awareness of Clemson nationally that's come as a result of spectacular success, it's also been wise to spend less time recruiting in the Palmetto State.
Consider this: Over a six-class stretch from 2006 to 2011, the state produced six 5-stars and 55 total 4-stars.
Over the next six classes from 2012 to 2017: zero 5-stars and just 33 4-stars.
Clemson fell short of the national championship last season, but it's abundantly clear the Tigers are championing going national in recruiting.
No one envisioned this back on that surprisingly glorious signing day in February of 2011.
OK, maybe one person did.