Are There Any Signing Day Surprises In Store for Clemson?

Dabo Swinney was a guest on The Packer and Durham Show on Tuesday and was asked about any surprise signings that might be in store for Wednesday's National Signing Day.

Dabo Swinney has been known to add a late surprise or two to his recruiting classes over the years. 

Last year the Tigers flipped cornerback Nate Wiggins from LSU just before the early signing period, then added blue-chip offensive lineman Tristan Leigh on Signing Day in February. 

Ahead of this year's National Signing Day on Wednesday, the longtime Clemson head coach made an appearance on The Packer and Durham Show on Tuesday morning and Swinney was asked if there might be any surprise additions to the 2022 class.

“I don’t think I’m going to have any surprises,” Swinney said. “We’re going to sign a great class, some really talented players, and meet all of our needs that we needed from a depth and talent standpoint."

The Tigers signed 12 players during the early signing period in December, highlighted by Cade Klubnik, the nation's top-rated quarterback and the MaxPreps National High School Player of the Year.

Since then, Clemson has added five more commitments to the class. Defensive backs Myles Oliver and Kylon Griffin, linebacker Kobe McCloud, defensive end Jahiem Lawson, and wide receiver Cole Turner have all committed over the past couple of weeks, with each expected to sign on Wednesday.

The Tigers are also still waiting on announcements from linebacker T.J. Dudley, defensive tackle Caden Story, and running backs Andrew Paul and Keith Adams Jr. All four are set to announce decisions on Wednesday.

Quarterback Hunter Johnson is also a part of the class, joining via the transfer portal. Johnson originally signed with Clemson as a part of the 2017 class, then transferred to Northwestern following the spring of 2018. 

After spending the past four seasons with the Wildcats, Johnson will now spend his final season back with the Tigers. Swinney said the fact that the program finally dipped into the transfer portal for a player might have to suffice for the surprise of 2022.

“I mean, we signed our first portal guy,” Swinney said. “I don’t know if that’s a surprise. I think that’s news. He’s a boomerang portal guy. He’s coming back where he started, coming right back. So, that’s probably it.”

However, surprise or no surprise, as always Swinney is very much looking forward to the day's activities.

"It’s exciting," Swinney said. "It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

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