The Tigers returned to the ACC Championship in 2017 to defend their 2016 ACC Crown against the Hurricanes from Miami and the Coastal side of the conference.
This marks the Hurricanes’ first-ever title game appearance since joining the ACC in July of 2004. No one thought when the Canes joined the league that it would take this long for Miami to win its division of the ACC. The vaunted program is steeped in tradition—most notably beginning in the early 80’s, when a more dominant program could not be found anywhere on the college football landscape.
Fast-forward to 2017, and we find a program that has been mired
in mediocrity for almost a decade, and a few bad coaching hires later they find
themselves heading in the right direction, thanks to the insertion of alumnus
and former Georgia Head Coach Mark Richt into the lead role at Coral Gables.
Since his arrival, Richt has turned the Canes’ fortunes 180
degrees and had them ranked as high as 2nd in the nation in recent weeks, finding
themselves now at #7 going into this prime-time matchup on Saturday night in
Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.
As far as recruiting goes, Miami has put a lid on its territory
as best it can since the Richt arrival. He has cited an old Miami recruiting philosophy
of “locking down South Florida.” That’s what they did in the 80’s, and it’s
been their mantra again as they try to build depth on the roster.
Clemson has made a living in south Florida in recent years,
recruiting the likes of Sammy Watkins, Mackenzie Alexander, Adrian Baker,
Richard Yeargin and Trayvon Mullen, just to name few that in past years would
not have made it out of the region.
So this matchup will play big in the homes of South Florida
recruits and nationwide, as the Tigers and Canes will finds themselves on more
than one occasion vying for the same prospects. The results of this upcoming championship
contest could weigh heavily in favor of the winning side when recruits are splitting
hairs between schools .
Stay tuned, as the big matchup in Charlotte will have
repercussions on the recruiting trail down the road in 2018 and 2019 all over
the recruiting map.
****The Remaining 2018
Targets
Top-Tier Clemson WR target Justyn Ross
WR Justyn Ross
https://www.hudl.com/profile/5107558/justyn-ross
It’s a
Clemson-Auburn battle for the heralded WR, with the Tigers from the lake, also
known as “WRU,” leading for arguably the nation’s top wideout. Justyn was in
town to see WRU and the Tigers take on the Cadets of The Citadel, and he
brought his mother with him for his Official Visit. All returns coming out of the visit have
Justyn even more enamored with the Defending National Champs than he was coming
into the visit!
In-state
Alabama seems to have faded into the distance in recent weeks, with the Clemson
Tigers appealing to the Phenix City standout. The Yellow Hammer State’s top
offensive prospect is trending Clemson Orange, and we are hearing an impending
announcement is forthcoming during the Under Armour All-Star Game in January. So
stay tuned, as CUTigers.com tracks his recruitment and keeps you up top date as
Ross gets closer to his big announcement!
RB Lyn-J Dixon
https://www.hudl.com/profile/4401689/lyn-j-dixon
It’s Alabama, Clemson and Louisville, with the Cardinals rising surprising
here, as the former Tennessee commit was just at Clemson on his official for The
Citadel game. Watch out for Alabama, and
Louisville has really made a late push for the Tigers’ first 2018 offer after
losing out on the nation’s #1 RB, Zamir White, in late summer when he committed
to Georgia.
Dixon had been committed to Tennessee prior to receiving a Clemson
offer, but with the upheaval that was the end of the Butch Jones tenure, he de-committed
and took visits to all of the aforementioned three schools. This one changes
direction as much as the wind does on a daily basis. So stay tuned, as Clemson
may be involved with more running back targets in the 2018 class in the near
future.
DB Patrick Surtain,
Jr.
https://www.hudl.com/profile/4267348/patrick-surtain-ii
Surtain,
who was thought to be SEC bound, has kept communication with the Tigers, and we
see an impending official visit potentially surfacing in the near future, as
Surtain continues to look around. At one
point, he was thought to be headed to LSU, but he has continued to leave the
door open from time to time. At present,
we feel he is still LSU bound, but Clemson is not through pleading its case to
the Sunshine State’s star from Fort Lauderdale.
OL Cade Mays
http://www.hudl.com/profile/4028628/cade-mays
Mays is
set to announce on 12/20 with a final list of Clemson, UGA, Tennessee and Ohio
State all awaiting on the big Tennessee legacy to pick his school of choice.
Clemson and UGA are back and forth here over the past few weeks, and the big
man has an Orange tint to him as of today. But things can change in a hurry,
and a UGA official visit is still to take place. If the Tigers can come out of
that visit with Mays uncommitted and waiting to take in-home visits, then we
really like the Tigers’ chances here.
Cade, who played in his High School State Playoffs last week, was caught wearing Clemson gloves during the game. See Tweet below! Cade is really loving the Tigers at present, and Georgia has slipped a little at present, but a UGA official has yet to take place, and the upcoming conference championships for both the Dawgs and Tigers could affect the big man’s thought process moving forward. But for now. It’s 55/45 in favor of Clemson if you ask me. Stay tuned!
@CadeMays68
wearing Clemson gloves for the state championship game pic.twitter.com/aXr91GsODQ
DE KJ Henry
https://www.hudl.com/profile/5398017/kj-henry
Henry has been on Clemson’s radar since a performance at the
Dabo Swinney Camp back in 2015, and he has Clemson, UGA, Virginia Tech, Alabama
and South Carolina, in that order, from what we are hearing with regard to the top
defensive target on the Tigers’ board for this 2018 class. The Tigers have been
making every effort to show the star from the Tar Heel State that he is a
Clemson priority in this 2018 class. So stay tuned, as we cover Henry’s recruitment
all the way up to his announcement on 12/20! It could be an early Christmas for
the Tigers with both Mays and Henry set to announce on the same day.
Clemson OL Target and VT Commit Jordan McFadden
https://www.hudl.com/profile/4348278/jordan-mcfadden
McFadden exited his Clemson official with a lot of smoke around
his recruitment, and that smoke had an Orange tint to it. We actually thought a
choice would have culminated later in the week, with things fresh in his mind
off the visit to Tiger Town to see The Citadel contest. But since then, things have simmered down,
and the big man from Dorman has slowed things back down.
It’s still a Virginia Tech and Clemson battle, with the Hokies
holding pat after a major push by the Tigers for the Spartanburg County mauler to
switch allegiances and come over to the Tigers.
Instead, the commitment to the Hokies is standing firm, and the Tigers
have their in-home visit coming up as the big man prepares for the Annual
Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. Stay tuned,
as the Tigers are pressing hard here for a commitment sooner rather than later,
if it is to come at all. CUTigers.com is the place to be to get the up-to-the
minute info on McFadden, the Tigers and Hokies!
****Clemson Commits
and Targets Make ACC Championship Predictions
Xavier Thomas
“I say we dominate their offense and beat them 28-3. Because our
defense is such a force, it will give our offense multiple opportunities to
score with a lot of time.”
Jake Venables
“31-3 Tigers.“
“Defense dominates!”
Cam'Ron Kelly
“34-14 Clemson.”
Mike Jones, Jr.
“38-17. I feel like we shut them down on defense.”
BT Potter
“35-10. I feel like our offense is going to continue to show out,
and our defense is one of the best in the country, so we will shut them down.”
Aidan Swanson
“33-20. Clemson gets off to fast start.”
Brannon Spector
“Clemson 31 – Miami 21. It will be a low-scoring game, but
Clemson will pull out with the win!”
Josh Belk
“31-17. I feel like it's going to be hard fought from both
sides. Of course, I feel like the Tigers are going to come out on top. Those
boys work for it every day. I'll be in the stands Saturday to witness the
victory.”
****This Week’s Tweets
Congratulations, KB2!
???????? pic.twitter.com/lSupfnqoF4
Just once! pic.twitter.com/L20SCOKPDJ
KB
named a Manning Award Finalist pic.twitter.com/IwvwD3p8kQ
The next great Clemson QB? Trevor Lawrence has already
broken one of Deshaun Watson's HS records pic.twitter.com/SETigz3MxF
The people & moments like this...is what makes
Clemson #Special.
#ALLin
pic.twitter.com/kDyONLOr7H
Respect My Decision! . . . pic.twitter.com/1hMZGFbh2Q
#OrangeBritches
in Charlotte for @theACC
????. #Clemson
#ALLIN
pic.twitter.com/cbq3CQYeUE
Please respect my decision...got to do what’s best for
me! pic.twitter.com/MoEeDnktxC
RT
if your team is No.
1?? in the nation#Clemson?? #ALLIN
pic.twitter.com/1sKVZWyfLB
A live
look at the Tennessee Athletic Department... pic.twitter.com/ZyK74cZvdn
This season flew bye pic.twitter.com/rM4sMSXyac
"There is nobody in America that will have a
better resume than Clemson, even if they lose in the ACC Championship" - @ESPNBooger
pic.twitter.com/mqXhdOCpDJ
Fifth #CFBPlayoff
Rankings:
1?? Clemson
2?? Auburn
3?? Oklahoma
4?? Wisconsin pic.twitter.com/iPFp7OP027
3
days. #Clemson
#ALLIN
@theACC
pic.twitter.com/Y06jXDe6v8
Looks like there's a new No. 1....
???? pic.twitter.com/Dnonoybf9X
I
would go to war for Dabo pic.twitter.com/hHq4hs0cDm
Tonight was Coach Swinney's 100th career win...
the fun is in the winning!#0to100
#RealQuick#WeWinWeDance
???????? pic.twitter.com/r9w1IhlZLx
Hey Tavien what’s our ranking? pic.twitter.com/f4hrFVgpGz
Let it bark???? @TannerAntonutti
pic.twitter.com/CKV3v3ePYL
???????? pic.twitter.com/Mlye2HUOVI
Didn’t end how i wanted but here’s my junior season
https://t.co/XfI71SUCaU
???? (@Wlmel10) November
26, 2017
The new No. 1?
While others fell,
Clemson beat down a ranked rival on the @MBUSA
Road To Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/slGRhmKMac
????????????. Hey @ErikRichardsUSA
, sorry... @ZSoskin
has you beat in the shoe collection, according to @Trevorlawrencee
????
Full video: https://t.co/07X6x9fvnO
pic.twitter.com/rxeWL4hXgb
The champs are back on top. pic.twitter.com/fLlP2T7C2s
Season Goals:
?? Win the
Opener
?? Win the Division
?? Win the State
Win the ACC
Win the
Closer
All focus is on Saturday. #ChampionshipPhase
???????? #ALLIN
#BeatMiami
pic.twitter.com/tXpqWfm1uE
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