Clemson football: Grading Tigers 2021 recruiting class

Here are grades for the Clemson football 2021 recruiting class, as Dabo Swinney continues to has the Tigers in position to be a national powerhouse. 

Clemson football has been the class of the ACC for some time in just about every respect. The Tigers have rarely lost under Dabo Swinney and they have been bringing in the best talent in the conference by a wide margin. The 2021 recruiting cycle doesn’t look to be any different for the perennial title contender.

As the Tigers prepare for a likely College Football Playoff berth (another one), Clemson is still setting themselves up quite nicely for the future. The program isn’t stopping here, to be sure.

With that in mind, let’s grade the Clemson football 2021 recruiting class as we dive into the newcomers for the Tigers. Note: All rankings are via the 247 Sports Composite.

Top Clemson football commit for 2021: Will Shipley, RB

A recruit who Dabo Swinney recently compared to Christian McCaffrey, Will Shipley could be a dynamic playmaker that immediately steps in for Travis Etienne once he departs. In 2019, Shipley has over 2,600 all-purpose yards with 38 total touchdowns. He may not be the starter at Clemson in 2021, but he should immediately see the field and demand touches with his combination of athleticism and football IQ.

Strengths, weaknesses of the 2021 Clemson football class

The strength of the class for the Tigers are the offensive skill positions and linebackers. In the case of the latter, they only have two linebackers coming in, but both players rank in the top 50 nationally.

It may not come to hurt them thanks to D.J. Uiagalelei, but there’s only one quarterback in this recruiting class, 3-star Bubba Chandler. He has some tools, but the Georgia native doesn’t appear to be the caliber of player Clemson has been bringing in recently at the position.

Diamond in the rough for Clemson football 2021 class: Ryan Linthicum, C

Offensive line play has rarely been a glaring issue for the Tigers under Dabo, and that’s not likely to change. But a big reason for that has been the development of the players they bring in, players like Ryan Linthicum. A 4-star prospect from Maryland, he’s undersized but has the chance to come to Clemson and be an athletic move piece on the offensive line.

Where does Clemson football rank in the 2021 recruiting cycle?

Lo and behold, Clemson has dominated the ACC once again — this time on the recruiting trail as the best class in the conference. The Tigers also rank No. 5 nationally with their current class.

Clemson football 2021 recruiting grade: A-

Frankly, the recent classes from the Tigers might have fans a bit spoiled. Adding a top-five class to this staff with how they develop talent is exactly what Clemson wants to do.

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