CLEMSON, S.C. — Freshman running back Will Shipley has proven one clear bright spot on offense this season for Clemson, which wraps its regular season Saturday night at rival South Carolina.
The Gameco*cks, too, wanted in on the five-star from outside of Charlotte, N.C. They offered him in June 2018, and he made multiple visits, including one for a showdown with No. 3 Georgia in 2018 that Shipley described as “one of the craziest experiences” of his recruitment.
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But when it came time for Shipley to narrow down schools, his list featured Clemson and Notre Dame as finalists with NC State and North Carolina the last two out. No South Carolina in sight. And, of course, he chose the Tigers.
It’s just one example of how things are trending between the in-state rivals, which might still go after some of the same prospects in recruiting but are in many ways operating in different spheres. It’s borne out in Clemson’s six-game winning streak over the Gameco*cks. This year, Clemson (8-3) enters the rivalry, which took a break because of the pandemic in 2020 after 111 consecutive meetings, waiting to see if it can sneak into the ACC title game. South Carolina is 6-5 under first-year coach Shane Beamer.
Coach Dabo Swinney said there aren’t many recruits who Clemson and South Carolina go head to head for.
“Earlier when I first got here, I felt like we had a little more competition,” Swinney said. “A lot of kids grow up one way or the other. If a kid grew up and he’s Clemson and we offer him, it’s just an uphill battle (for South Carolina). And vice versa.
“Every now and then you’ll have a situation that could go either way, but usually not. Usually not.”
When it comes to the recent history of in-state prospects both schools battled for, Clemson got five-star defensive end Da’Quan Bowers in 2008. South Carolina landed five-star running back Marcus Lattimore in 2010. Jadeveon Clowney, the five-star defensive end in the Class of 2011, chose Steve Spurrier and the Gameco*cks. Mike Williams, the four-star wide receiver in the Class of 2013, picked Swinney and Clemson.
But the Tigers and Gameco*cks started to take noticeably different paths on the recruiting trail once Clemson started competing at the national level, having earned a berth in each of the past six College Football Playoffs.
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Clemson’s success has allowed the Tigers to branch out beyond the local and regional landscape and pluck top players from anywhere in the country. No class represents that more than Clemson’s 2020 class, in which the Tigers signed No. 1 prospect Bryan Bresee, a defensive tackle from Maryland, No. 7 prospect Myles Murphy, a defensive end from Georgia and No. 10 prospect DJ Uiagalelei, now the starting quarterback, from California.
Losing out to South Carolina on 2019 five-star defensive tackle Zacch Pickens, of Anderson, S.C., and 2020 five-star defensive tackle Jordan Burch, of Columbia, S.C., was easier for the Tigers to handle, considering they landed five five-star prospects in the Class of 2020 alone.
In the last five recruiting classes, from 2017 through 2021, South Carolina has signed 37 players from the Palmetto State. The Tigers have signed 13, including just one in the Class of 2021: punt returner/backup quarterback Will Taylor. When Clemson enters Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday, it’ll also feature players from Florida, Missouri, Kentucky, Alabama and Texas.
“We both have the same issues when it comes to our recruiting base,” Swinney said. “This is a small population when it comes to football players. Atlanta’s got more people than the whole state of South Carolina. … You’ve got to be able to win in the SEC and the ACC. You’ve got to be a good enough player for that level of competition.”
South Carolina’s population is just north of 5 million, according to the 2020 census, and Swinney said the state not having a professional sports team makes the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry all the more intense. Most recruits in the state have allegiances formed long before their senior years of high school.
That said, it’s not unheard of for a prospect to like both schools. Clemson’s Xavier Thomas, who is from South Carolina but attended IMG Academy for his senior year, said during his recruitment that he’d return to his home state one way or another. He even thanked South Carolina’s staff on the day he committed to Clemson.
Biggest decision of my lifetime, my recruitment is OVER. I'm 100% ALL IN ‼️🐅🐾 This is only the beginning #WE2DEEP18 @ETitusThomas pic.twitter.com/RQJ7tr32BY
— Xavier Thomas (@atxlete) April 8, 2017
Adam Randall, a four-star Clemson wide receiver commit in the Class of 2022, grew up cheering for both the Tigers and Gameco*cks, in large part because his mother graduated from South Carolina. Offensive coordinator Tony Elliott recruited South Carolina defensive back R.J. Roderick out of Summerville, S.C., not far from where Elliott went to high school at James Island.
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And this weekend, the Tigers and Gameco*cks will each want to put on their best showing for four-star wide receiver Antonio Williams, out of Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, S.C. Williams has had a South Carolina offer since November of 2020 and took an official visit in September. Clemson just offered him this week, after the Tigers missed out on four-star receiver Andre Greene Jr. to North Carolina.
“We did recruit several of the guys,” Elliott said of the past several years. “I know R.J. I tried to recruit him. Actually, I thought he was a running back, but he’s turned out to have a great career as a safety down there.
“Burch and Pickens, we went hard after those guys. So there’s some familiar faces.”
Beamer currently has the nation’s No. 21 class for 2022 and appears to be branching out to acquire talent from multiple states.
The recruiting rivalry won’t intensify unless South Carolina starts competing nationally or Clemson, which has the No. 11 class for ’22, has issues maintaining its status as a national power, as has been the case in 2021. But high school coaches around the state, who were granted confidentiality over the summer to speak to The Athletic, said neither of the schools tend to recruit against each other negatively. Swinney and Beamer are similar recruiters in that they are player coaches with an emphasis on culture.
Swinney had nothing but positive things to say this week about Beamer and their relationship and credited him for getting the now-bowl eligible Gameco*cks trending in the right direction so quickly.
“I’ve known Shane a long time. I’ve always had great respect for him, and that’s not ever going to change,” Swinney said. “Just because somebody wears a logo doesn’t mean I can’t like them anymore.”
Although the recruiting dynamic isn’t exactly fierce, it doesn’t take long for players to get an education on what it means to play in the rivalry and how a win or loss can linger for a full year.
“I definitely understand the importance,” Shipley said. “It was a huge thing in my recruitment and a big reason why I came here, as well. I’m for it. It’s gonna be a fun week.”
(Photo: Streeter Lecka / Getty Images)
Grace Raynor is a staff writer for The Athletic covering recruiting and southeastern college football. A native of western North Carolina, she graduated from the University of North Carolina. Follow Grace on Twitter @gmraynor
