Friday Night Notes
By: Paul Strelow
Dabo Swinney wrapped up his in-home visit today with Strongsville (Ohio) four-star offensive line commitment Blake Miller before returning to Clemson for this afternoon's staff meeting.
The agenda was to formally set the staff ducks in a row as the Tigers prepare to host several official visitors this weekend.
Offensive coordinator Tony Elliott's departure today for Virginia accounted for a big piece in that puzzle.
We will dive more into the continued dominoes falling from Clemson's coaching turnover in the coming days.
Yet as it pertains to Elliott, the spotlight focuses on just about one prospect only. And we can tell you he arrived on campus Friday evening.
Jennings (La.) four-star running back Trevor Etienne headlines Clemson's official visitor list for the final recruiting weekend leading into Wednesday's early signing period.
Clemson has yet to move on another running back in anticipation of Trevor Etienne's decision.
Etienne (5-9, 205), ranked No. 94 nationally by Rivals.com, has worn the Tigers' bull's-eye for most of the cycle. And of course, he's the brother of former Clemson star Travis Etienne.
That has amounted to both the gift and the curse for Clemson throughout the lengthy courtship.
Our longstanding belief has been that Trevor has wanted to reasonably distinguish himself from his older brother, hence why the Tigers appear yet to have gathered substantial momentum by this late stage in the process. The two other finalists, Florida and LSU, didn't even have head coaches until about two weeks ago.
What Clemson has had in its favor, though, is relationships.
Etienne and -- arguably more importantly -- mother Donnetta have known Swinney for five years. They know the culture, they know what they'd be getting, and they've gotten to know running backs coach C.J. Spiller during that span as well.
But Elliott was the central figure connecting the Etiennes to Clemson, and now his presence will be absent this weekend.
Travis' experience was largely defined by his time under Elliott, his success in Elliott's offense and the manner in which Elliott guided his maturation.
Elliott wasn't involved in many in-home visits with offensive recruits for this class last week. But Etienne's was the first and main one.
Spiller has assumed point-man over this recruitment over the course of the year. He and Swinney figure to share the duties of lead voice this weekend.
Etienne has talked of announcing a commitment Jan. 8 at an all-star game appearance in San Antonio, Texas.
He has also informed Florida of the intent to give new coach Billy Napier an official visit the following weekend.
The vibe and feedback the Tigers get from this weekend stands to inform their direction on whether they need to get the ball rolling with other running back candidates.
Donnetta has referred to Elliott numerous times through the years as family.
It will be interesting to see how the new dynamic shapes Etienne's view of Clemson.
**** Several prospects shared their reaction to the Elliott news with Tigerillustrated.com earlier today:
JUSTICE HAYNES
"Coach Elliott leaving definitely was a shock. He did great things at Clemson, and him and I have built a really good relationship. But I'm happy for him.
"As far as him leaving affecting my recruitment with Clemson -- no, not really. I'm still very close with coach Spiller."
KAM PRINGLE
"When I heard the news it was definitely crazy news but not a shocker. I had a feeling coach was going to leave soon and I have been looking into Virginia as far as my recruitment prior of the news."
RICHARD YOUNG
"I didn’t even know he’s leaving. Wow."
CADE KLUBNIK
"I trust in coach Swinney and am pumped to be there in a month."
From THE TIGER FAN SHOP: Happy Holidays! More marked down officially-licensed Clemson apparel and gear! Visit The Tiger Fan Shop HERE!
By: Paul Strelow
Dabo Swinney wrapped up his in-home visit today with Strongsville (Ohio) four-star offensive line commitment Blake Miller before returning to Clemson for this afternoon's staff meeting.
The agenda was to formally set the staff ducks in a row as the Tigers prepare to host several official visitors this weekend.
Offensive coordinator Tony Elliott's departure today for Virginia accounted for a big piece in that puzzle.
We will dive more into the continued dominoes falling from Clemson's coaching turnover in the coming days.
Yet as it pertains to Elliott, the spotlight focuses on just about one prospect only. And we can tell you he arrived on campus Friday evening.
Jennings (La.) four-star running back Trevor Etienne headlines Clemson's official visitor list for the final recruiting weekend leading into Wednesday's early signing period.
Clemson has yet to move on another running back in anticipation of Trevor Etienne's decision.
Etienne (5-9, 205), ranked No. 94 nationally by Rivals.com, has worn the Tigers' bull's-eye for most of the cycle. And of course, he's the brother of former Clemson star Travis Etienne.
That has amounted to both the gift and the curse for Clemson throughout the lengthy courtship.
Our longstanding belief has been that Trevor has wanted to reasonably distinguish himself from his older brother, hence why the Tigers appear yet to have gathered substantial momentum by this late stage in the process. The two other finalists, Florida and LSU, didn't even have head coaches until about two weeks ago.
What Clemson has had in its favor, though, is relationships.
Etienne and -- arguably more importantly -- mother Donnetta have known Swinney for five years. They know the culture, they know what they'd be getting, and they've gotten to know running backs coach C.J. Spiller during that span as well.
But Elliott was the central figure connecting the Etiennes to Clemson, and now his presence will be absent this weekend.
Travis' experience was largely defined by his time under Elliott, his success in Elliott's offense and the manner in which Elliott guided his maturation.
Elliott wasn't involved in many in-home visits with offensive recruits for this class last week. But Etienne's was the first and main one.
Spiller has assumed point-man over this recruitment over the course of the year. He and Swinney figure to share the duties of lead voice this weekend.
Etienne has talked of announcing a commitment Jan. 8 at an all-star game appearance in San Antonio, Texas.
He has also informed Florida of the intent to give new coach Billy Napier an official visit the following weekend.
The vibe and feedback the Tigers get from this weekend stands to inform their direction on whether they need to get the ball rolling with other running back candidates.
Donnetta has referred to Elliott numerous times through the years as family.
It will be interesting to see how the new dynamic shapes Etienne's view of Clemson.
**** Several prospects shared their reaction to the Elliott news with Tigerillustrated.com earlier today:
JUSTICE HAYNES
"Coach Elliott leaving definitely was a shock. He did great things at Clemson, and him and I have built a really good relationship. But I'm happy for him.
"As far as him leaving affecting my recruitment with Clemson -- no, not really. I'm still very close with coach Spiller."
KAM PRINGLE
"When I heard the news it was definitely crazy news but not a shocker. I had a feeling coach was going to leave soon and I have been looking into Virginia as far as my recruitment prior of the news."
RICHARD YOUNG
"I didn’t even know he’s leaving. Wow."
CADE KLUBNIK
"I trust in coach Swinney and am pumped to be there in a month."
From THE TIGER FAN SHOP: Happy Holidays! More marked down officially-licensed Clemson apparel and gear! Visit The Tiger Fan Shop HERE!
