With South Carolina’s smaller state population size, I think pulling players from out of state will always be important, but with three (traditionally) dominant programs in FSU, UF, and Miami, Clemson will never regularly pull the top guys out of that state.

Currently, Several of the state of South Carolina’s top prospects go out of state to play college football. Clemson needs to put the proverbial fence around the state, and bring these guys to Clemson. While out of state recruiting should remain a priority, the most important priority should be funneling the state of South Carolina’s best players to Clemson

As a UCLA grad, I watch with dismay at how Pete Carroll of USC (that’s the school from Los Angeles as opposed to Cola) puts his sights on youngsters and sells them on his energy and enthusiasm whether they are from California or Florida. Somehow he convinces 3 Five-Star RBs a year to come to SC and fight among themselves for the starter’s job. Swinney has the potential to be the same type of energetic salesman in his role as head coach of the Tigers. But he will need to travel. Signing the best players in South Carolina only helps you be better than that other major team in SC. That alone won’t get you a trip to the Orange Bowl. And that’s the goal.

For that reason alone, Florida must remain prime hunting ground.

But I digress. I think its an interesting change in recruiting philosophy. When Bowden was in charge, our main recruiting territories were SC, GA, and FL. When Swinney/Napier came into the fold, the doors opened for NC and Alabama. I personally love Swinney’s philosophy to give each assistant a portion of SC. I think this will allow the assistants to create a much tighter bond with the high school coaches in their particular region.

While, we will always need to pull a few out of state guys, I think the key to Clemson’s success will be signing the majority of the top recruits in SC