The Drought is Over
Caleb Downs scores Ohio State’s first punt return touchdown since 2014.
When Dabo Swinney took over as the head coach at Clemson midway through the 2008 season, he inherited a program that needed a new direction. The Tigers were competitive under Tommy Bowden, but never won more than nine games in a season and hadn't sniffed a conference title in 17 years.
Swinney, with no previous experience as a head coach, was forced to sell recruits on his vision of what the program could become under his leadership. Now eight years later, he simply shows them the results.
“Back when I started, we were selling hope. we were trying to get people to believe in the vision, the plan we had.”
– Clemson HEAD COACH Dabo Swinney
“Back when I started, we were selling hope. We were trying to get people to believe in the vision, the plan we had,” Swinney said during last week's on-campus press conference previewing the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. “Eight years later to see where we are now, it's special.”
Under Swinney's direction, Clemson has won three Atlantic Coast Conference championships, compiled six-consecutive 10-win seasons and is set to make its second-straight appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Appropriately, Swinney's pitch is different now from what it was when he nabbed prized dual-threat quarterback Tajh Boyd in his first recruiting class over finalists Ohio State and Oregon.
“Three out of the last four years, we have been in either a BCS bowl or the College Football Playoff. To know where we were eight years ago sitting in Tajh's home trying to recruiting my first quarterback to where we are today is definitely a lot,” Swinney said. “We get in more homes, and it's easier to get people to save a recruiting visit for Clemson because our brand has grown so much.”
Clemson continues to improve on the recruiting trailing, landing a commitment last Thursday from the top-rated player in the Class of 2018 in five-star quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Boyd, for comparison's sake, was the No. 31 prospect overall in the 2009 recruiting class and once known as the highest-rated quarterback to ever sign with the Tigers.
| Season | record | highest-rated recruit |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 9-5 | QB Tajh Boyd - No. 31 |
| 2010 | 6-7 | WR Martavis Bryant - No. 116 |
| 2011 | 10-4 | LB Tony Steward - No. 13 |
| 2012 | 11-2 | DT Carlos Watkins - No. 71 |
| 2013 | 11-2 | CB Mackensie Alexander - No. 29 |
| 2014 | 10-3 | QB Deshaun Watson - No. 41 |
| 2015 | 14-1 | OT Mitch Hyatt - No. 22 |
| 2016 | 12-1 | DT Dexter Lawrence - No. 2 |
| 2017 | N/A | WR Tee Higgins - No. 14* |
| 2018 | N/A | QB Trevor Lawrence - No. 1* |
*As of Dec. 20, 2016
“As far as everything else? It's the same,” Swinney said. “We are still selling our same core values for our program. What we're about and our philosophy hasn't changed. We have become a school that even if guys don't end up coming, they still come and check it out. Which is huge for us because we know if they come, then we've got a great shot because this is a great place.”
