Recruiting is key in today’s era of College Football
We talked about it on last night’s Tiger View Podcast, but it’s worth saying again: in college football, recruiting never really ends, even if a recruit doesn’t choose your school the first time around.
Every coach says, “Recruiting is the lifeblood of your program,” but what many people don’t see is how that lifeblood keeps flowing in different directions, even after signing day pictures in front of a hat table. In an era where the transfer portal is just as important as your third-down defense, every conversation you have with a recruit might pay off two or three years down the road.
It All Starts with Relationships
It’s easy to think that once a player commits to another school, that’s the end of the story. But the truth is, players remember who was genuine with them during their high school recruitment. They remember which coaching staffs took the time to build relationships, treated them like a priority, and showed up consistently, even if the player ended up signing elsewhere.
Recruiting is about building trust. It’s about getting to know a player’s family, showing up at their games, and making them feel like they would be valued in your program. These relationships don’t evaporate once a commitment is made. Instead, they sit quietly in the background, ready to become relevant again if circumstances change.
How Dabo Swinney Does It Differently
One coach who embodies this approach is Clemson’s Dabo Swinney. Dabo has built a reputation not just for winning games, but for the way he recruits players with honesty and genuine care for who they are off the field. He takes the time to get to know a player’s family, their goals, and what they value in a program.
Dabo doesn’t just recruit to land a signature; he recruits to build a connection, whether the player chooses Clemson or not. That approach pays off when players enter the transfer portal and remember the way Clemson treated them during their high school recruitment. In a world where recruiting can sometimes feel transactional, Dabo’s relational approach stands out, and Clemson has seen the benefits in the portal era.
Jeremiah Alexander: A Perfect Example
Take Jeremiah Alexander, for example. Coming out of high school, he was a highly sought-after five-star edge rusher at the time from Alabama. Clemson was high on him from the start, with Dabo and the staff making him a priority throughout the recruiting process, but ultimately, he chose to stay home and play for Nick Saban at Alabama.
That could have been the end of the story, but it wasn’t. Fast forward a couple of years, and the transfer portal opens, allowing players to find fresh opportunities. This time around, Alexander remembered how Clemson treated him during his high school recruitment—the respect, the consistency, and the genuine connection built by Dabo and the staff. When he decided it was time for a new opportunity, Clemson was there, and this time, it stuck.
Jeremiah Alexander’s story is the perfect reminder that recruiting is never truly over, especially when you’ve done it the right way from the start.
The Portal Has Changed Everything
Before the transfer portal, recruiting was simpler. A player would sign with a school, and that was typically where they would stay for three to four years unless something drastic happened. Now, with the portal, college football rosters are fluid, and players have the freedom to find new homes when they feel it’s the right time.
This means schools must continue to recruit players even after they commit elsewhere—or even after they sign with your own program. Just because a player signs with your school doesn’t guarantee they will be on your roster in two or three years, and just because a player goes somewhere else doesn’t mean your shot at landing them is gone forever.
“It’s Not Over Until It’s Over”
There’s a phrase many people who follow recruiting live by: “Recruiting isn’t over until the pen hits the paper.” Even then, it’s not fully over. In today’s landscape, the transfer portal has become a second recruiting cycle for many players. If a player’s situation changes, if playing time doesn’t match expectations, or if they are looking for a new environment, they will remember the schools that treated them with respect and showed genuine interest during their high school days.
Programs that view recruiting as a long-term relationship, not just a transaction, are the ones that will thrive. Whether it’s a five-star edge rusher or a depth-building linebacker, you never know who might circle back and become a key piece for your program down the road.
Clemson’s Approach Sets the Standard
For Clemson, the story of Jeremiah Alexander’s transfer is a testament to the value of recruiting the right way, even if you don’t land the player out of high school. It’s a reminder that recruiting is a relationship business, and those relationships can pay off when you least expect it.
Dabo Swinney’s ability to recruit with consistency, honesty, and care has positioned Clemson well in this new era of college football. It’s an approach that fans should appreciate because it ensures that the door is never fully closed with any recruit, no matter where they initially choose to go.
The Long Game Wins
In the end, recruiting never truly ends in college football. It’s a continuous process of building relationships, maintaining trust, and understanding that today’s commitment doesn’t always mean a player is locked into that program forever. For programs that recruit the right way, the transfer portal isn’t a threat—it’s an opportunity.
So, the next time you see a player commit somewhere else, don’t view it as the end of the story. In college football, the recruiting game never stops, and for coaches like Dabo Swinney who build it the right way, the second chance often ends up being the best chance for both the player and the program.
