Final Pieces of the Puzzle: Clemson ends National Signing Day with impressive 2018 class
There wasn’t too much drama on National Signing Day in the Upstate, but that didn’t stop Dabo Swinney and his staff from finishing out the 2018 recruiting season with a splash.
Most of Clemson’s class had already signed the dotted line on Early Signing Day, leaving Swinney the chance to hone in on a couple of key prospects heading into the new year with his staff. Mario Goodrich and Justyn Ross were players who would be the cherries on top of another impressive class.
Goodrich, or “Super Mario” as Swinney likes to call him, is a defensive back from Kansas City, Missouri, the first player from that state to play for Clemson. He was originally committed to Nebraska, but reopened his recruitment when a coaching change was made.
According to Rivals.com, the 4-star prospect is ranked No. 99 in the nation and is the third best player from Missouri. Goodrich also had a few division one offers to play basketball, but found a home in Clemson.
“He’s got the explosiveness that you look for and very high character,” Swinney said. “I think he is a guy that fits well into our program and he saw that. He was a pig in mud when he got here. They knew pretty early that this was it.”
While Swinney was confident in Goodrich’s signing, there was the drama behind the unknown of where Ross would end up.
We knew when Swinney went to Alabama for an in-home visit with Ross a week ago that he wouldn’t leave without some sort of good feeling the No. 1 player in Alabama would sign with Clemson. On that Thursday before leaving, Ross made a promise to Swinney.
Well, sort of. If a pinky swear counts.
“The pinky swear on Tursday, that was it,” Swinney said. “When he pinky-sweared me I was like, ‘alright, we are going to get him. If you break a pinky swear then we probably don’t want you.’ When I left his house, I felt confident that we had done everything we possibly could.”
The wide receiver didn’t turn back on his promise and at 1:15 Wednesday afternonn, Ross shocked the state of Alabama and signed with the Tigers.
We haven’t seen Jeff Scott this excited since he tackled Swinney in Tampa when Clemson won the national championship in 2016, and for good reason. You don’t just walk into Auburn and Alabama’s backyard and pluck away the state’s best player.
Ross is just the second No. 1 rated prospect in the state to not sign with Alabama in 15 years (Jameis Winston 2012 - Signed with FSU). It was a monumental accomplishment for Swinney, Scott, and Todd Bates.
“I’ve recruited the state of Alabama forever. When I was coaching at Alabama it was hard to sign players out of that state, even when you are there,” Swinney said. “That just again shows you where we are as a program. To go into that state - you’re 30 minutes or so from Auburn, and Alabama with what they’ve been able to do - and sign the No. 1 player in that state, that tells you the type of man Justyn is.”
Ross, a 5-star receiver, looks the part of a full-grown man on the field. He’s made some spectacular plays in high school and brings along the tools that are going to immediately impact Clemson’s offense.
“He’s in that ‘Mike Williams’ mode, but an older version, not the younger version of Mike Williams coming in,” Swinney added. “He’s got a very mature body for this stage. That’s why he is who he is. He’s got everything you want.”
Swinney and his staff went into the recruiting season thinking they would only sign 12 guys, but with some players leaving opened up some opportunities to go after others. The signing of Ross capped off a strong day and 2018 class of 17 players for Clemson.
According to ESPN, Clemson ended with the No. 6 recruiting class overall despite only signing 17 players. Clemson is the only program with less than 20 signees in the top-ten classes and there is only one other school in the top 40 (Southern California) with less than 20.
This is the eighth top-15 class for Clemson in a row.
“We’ve never had a number one recruiting class, but yet we are the second-winningest team in the country over the last seven or eight years,” Swinney said. “I don’t really get too caught up in the rankings.”
Last year, the Tigers signed 14 recruits and this year’s 17 is another small one, but a class that checks all the boxes. With the signing of Ross, the Tigers made history by being the only school to ever sign the No. 1 overall player from six different states.
The “Clemson brand” has never been stronger and it shows up on paper.
“On paper, this is the most complete class I have signed,” Swinney added.
The team Clemson is bringing back is going to be junior-senior led for the next two years with a ton of younger talent to fill the cracks. Clemson has 11 mid-years who are already on campus, which is huge for Swinney that those players begin to develop before spring practice begins.
What’s next? Next Wednesday, Clemson starts “All-In” drills and three weeks from Signing Day is practice one. There’s plenty of players who are going to get plenty of reps
“Spring is coming early for Clemson football and we are chomping at the bit,” Swinney said.
Goodrich and Ross were the final pieces of the puzzle for an impressive 2018 recruiting class. Most of the rest of the country is now clamoring for a piece of the pie.
Clemson's 2018 Signees
★★★★★ Justyn Ross Central High School - Phenix City, AL - Signing Day Article
★★★★★ Trevor Lawrence Cartersville High School - Cartersville, GA - Signing Day Article
★★★★★ Xavier Thomas IMG Academy, Bradenton, FL - Signing Day Article
★★★★★ Jackson Carman Fairfield High School - Fairfield, OH - Signing Day Article
★★★★★ KJ Henry West Forsyth High School - Clemmons, NC - Signing Day Article
★★★★ Mario Goodrich Lee's Summit High School - Lee's Summit, MO - Signing Day Article
★★★★ Mike Jones Jr. IMG Academy - Bradenton, FL - Signing Day Article
★★★★ Justin Mascoll South Gwinnett High School - Snellville, GA - Signing Day Article
★★★★ Kyler McMichael Greater Atlanta Christian - Norcross, GA - Signing Day Article
★★★★ Josh Belk Lewisville High School - Richburg, SC - Signing Day Article
★★★★ Derion Kendrick South Point High - Rock Hill, SC - Signing Day Article
★★★★ Jake Venables Daniel High School - Clemson, SC - Signing Day Article
★★★★ Lyn-J Dixon Taylor County High School - Butler, GA - Signing Day Article
★★★ Braden Galloway Seneca High School - Seneca, SC - Signing Day Article
★★★ Darnell Jefferies Newton High School - Covington, GA - Signing Day Article
★★★ BT Potter South Pointe High School - Rock Hill, SC - Signing Day Article
★★★ Jordan McFadden Dorman High School - Robuck, SC - Signing Day Article