Will Shipley committed to Clemson where heāll eventually replace Travis Etienne and left Notre Dame holding the bag for their No. 1 target they missed out on.
Clemson recruiting continues to roll for Dabo Swinney and the Tigers who received the commitment of the nationās No. 1 all-purpose back Will Shipley on Tuesday. The addition gives Clemson the No. 4 recruiting class in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
The 5-foot-11, 198-pound Shipley will go a long way toward replacing the production of Travis Etienne who returned for his senior year in 2020 but will be gone when Shipley arrives on campus next year.
Etienne may leave Clemson as the schoolās all-time leader in nearly every meaningful rushing category and at or near the top of every meaningful ACC rushing record too. Expecting Shipley to step right in and replace Etienne is a tall order. But heāll be the first option to replace Etienne and churn out yards in the run game and as a receiver out of the backfield.
āThe culture Coach Swinney has created, the people that make up that culture, itās very very special, Shipley told Sports Illustrated. Itās a place I can go where the people from my town, the people that have helped me get to where I am today, where they can come watch me. They can come see me do my thing and put on for my people. It gives me the opportunity to win national championships and create relationships with guys who are very similar to me, that I will carry on through the rest of my life.ā
The future of Clemson lies is with freshman quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei and 2021 freshman Shipley. Clemson has recruited better than they ever have in recent years, coinciding with the Golden Age of Tiger Football.
Conversely, the same canāt be said for the team they beat in the College Football Playoff two seasons ago, and who theyāll meet later this season, Notre Dame.
The Fighting Irish went all-in on Shipley. They havenāt put all their chips on the table like they did for Shipley since Manti Teāo was one of the top recruits in the nation. Notre Dame was able to lure the California prospect to South Bend where he became a Heisman finalist and led the Irish to the National Championship Game.
In the case of Shipley, they couldnāt convince the North Carolina native to come to Notre Dame and say no to the program that is arguably the best program in the nation over the last few years. Losing a top recruit isnāt uncommon, but with Notre Dame ironically going all-in for Shipley, they had no backup options. That was one of the selling points they could use with Shipley. He was their guy. They werenāt recruiting anyone else at the position. The starting job was his if he wanted it at Notre Dame.
Itās not a bad approach by Notre Dame. It just didnāt work. And now, they may not find the type of difference-maker at running back that is a perfect fit like Shipley would have been.
Thereās still time to find that recruit, but finding him will be so much more difficult with travel and recruiting restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Losing Shipley in May wonāt hurt as much as losing to him on the field in 2023 will when Clemson and Notre Dame meet. Anytime a college loses a recruit they wanted, the excuses range from we didnāt need him to he wasnāt that good anyway. If a Notre Dame fan tries to say that about losing Shipley, donāt believe them, theyāre just hurt about losing who could have been the best offensive player Notre Dame has had in years.
Itās going to be hard to beat Notre Dame in November if they canāt beat them in May on the recruiting trail.
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