Action Jackson: The 5-Star Surprise of Clemson's Early Signing Period

You could hear the roar from inside the practice facility.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney addressed the crowd in the lobby of the Reeves Football Complex until he received a phone call.

Swinney was sharing what he and his staff values in the recruiting process. He hoped to sign 12 individuals, but possibly a couple of more by the end of the day.

He mentioned “consistency” in his staff’s recruiting process. This year’s class would be the eighth top-15 class in a row for the Tigers.

Swinney preached about how the Clemson brand is as strong as it’s ever been. His wife, Kathleen, then came to the stage and tugged his arm.

“Timeout!” Swinney said to the gathered audience. He ran off the stage like he was running down the hill on Saturdays, smiling wide. He had to take this phone call.

Although we don’t know who was on the other end of the line, it was expected that Jackson Carman was calling to tell Swinney he had made his decision to go to Clemson.

The No. 1 offensive tackle in the class announced at 11:00 AM that he would be joining Clemson’s already loaded 2018 class.

The announcement was greeted with a loud cheer from the gathered crowd at Swinney’s signing day extravaganza. The Tigers had just pulled off an upset.

“I decided after a long, hot shower,” Carman said.

Carman called Urban Meyer and his staff at Ohio State that morning to tell them that he would not be a Buckeye. The news was shocking.

Carman is from Fairfield, Ohio, which is an hour-and-a-half drive from Ohio State’s campus. The No. 1 prospect in Ohio was basically a lock for the Buckeyes his entire recruitment.

Then, last Tuesday, Swinney flew up to Ohio and presumably met with Carman. He had to make one last push to get the offensive lineman and work his magic.

Many Buckeye fans were infuriated when they heard Swinney might have mentioned Meyer was on the “back end” of his coaching career during the visit.

A form of what some would call “negative recruiting.”

When Swinney was shown the above tweet, he didn’t deny anything.

“We might have had a lot of conversations,” Swinney said to a group of reporters. “I have no idea… I cannot recall specifically, but it sounds like something that might have come up when we were talking about coaches.”

Swinney has been at Clemson for 15 years while other coaches, like Meyer, have jumped around quite a bit. He was using every angle to get the highly touted prospect, and that one stuck.

Coaches say a lot of things to these kids during recruiting. It’s a crazy, competitive process.

Carman said he was afraid to look at his phone after he announced where he was going.

This isn’t going to go over well with Ohio State fans, especially after the Tigers whooped up on the Buckeyes 31-0 on New Year's Eve one year ago. 

In less than a year, Swinney has handed Meyer two giant losses.

“When I figured out that Clemson was the place for me, it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders,” Carman said at his signing day event. “It’s a great opportunity for me to come to Clemson and be a part of a great uprising program.”

Once Swinney received confirmation that Carman’s National Letter of Intent was faxed in, he let out a yell followed by a fist pump.

“Action Jackson! Let’s go!” Swinney yelled.

He was very complimentary of Jackson’s skill set and compared him to other recruits that have stood out for Clemson in the past. Big names like Vic Beasley, Sammy Watkins, and Deshaun Watson were mentioned.

“The guy is 350 and can move,” Swinney said. “There’s probably no one here that can out-run him, and I’m willing to lay money on that. He can absolutely fly for a 350-pound man. He’s very physical and is the number one player in Ohio. A huge pick up for us.”

Carman said that Ohio State’s tradition and history speaks for itself and is one of the top three programs of all time regarding draft picks and championships.

But he mentioned that Clemson is on the rise and has the opportunity to be one of those programs.

Carman and rest of Clemson’s loaded 2018 class is truly a step in the right direction in that aspect.

Swinney worked his magic yet again.

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