Clemson Secures Spot in 2027 Five-Star’s Top-12

Regardless of early on-field struggles, the Clemson Tigers have made the Top-12 for one of the best players in the class of 2027.

While the on-field performance hasn't been great for Clemson, the recruiting department seems to be in good hands. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers have had a strong start to their 2027 recruiting, already acquiring four recruits early in the cycle, and don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

On Tuesday, five-star cornerback Josh Dobson released his top-12 schools, with Clemson being included. 

👀👀👀 https://t.co/rZKWgfwzaP

— 5⭐️Joshua Dobson (@JoshDobsonDB) September 30, 2025

The other schools that remain in the running for the highly-touted prospect include LSU, Texas Tech, Ohio State, Alabama, Florida State, Tennessee, Penn State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Notre Dame and South Carolina.

The 6-foot-1 defensive back from Rock Hill, South Carolina ranks as the No. 4 player in the country and the No. 1 player at his position, according to Rivals.

The Tigers have been heavily recruiting Dobson since the beginning of the summer, offering him in early June after participating in the 2025 Dabo Swinney Football Camp and having him back for two unofficial visits. The first one came the day after he got offered and the second was for Clemson's season-opener against LSU.

Through his first two seasons at Catawba Ridge, he racked up 72 tackles, one tackle for a loss, 16 pass breakups and six interceptions, including one that he took back for a pick-six. He also contributed on special teams, scoring two kickoff return touchdowns as a sophomore.

He earned All-State and All-Region selections as a sophomore en route to leading his squad to the second round of South Carolina’s 5A Division 2 playoffs.

Through five games in 2025, he's made a lot of plays on the offensive side of the ball, tallying three receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, he's made one tackle and one pass deflection.

The rest of Clemson’s 2027 class currently holds four-star quarterback Kharim Hughley, four-star linebacker Max Brown, three-star safety Harrison Luke and three-star cornerback Christian Chancellor Jr. As of September 28, Clemson’s 2027 recruiting class is ranked No. 9 in the country.