Troy Stellato: Clemson Program Like No Other

The commitment of Troy Stellato is another example of the culture Dabo Swinney had created at Clemson. In the end, it was that culture that swayed the wide receiver recruit toward the Tigers instead of Ohio State.

Troy Stellato's path to becoming one of the most sought after recruits in the 2021 recruiting class has not been easy. After all, the journey to becoming a high profile recruit takes a lot of hard work and can be physically and mentally exhausting. 

The most recent step in that journey occurred on Friday. The four star receiver from Florida committed to Clemson, choosing the Tigers over Ohio State. 

Stellato's decision to commit to Clemson was not an easy one. The current pandemic only made the decision more difficult and kept him from taking some visits he had planned.

"This is ... it's weird times," Setllato told SI in an exclusive interview. "I really wasn't expecting all this. I was probably going to go around to two or three more schools."

He was determined to make a college decision before his senior year in high school began. He wanted to go into his final year of high school focused solely on football, with no distractions. 

"My goal at the end was I wanted to be committed or my senior season," Stellato told SI in an exclusive interview. "Just to kind of have a clear head going into my final season, and focus on winning another state title with my teammates."

While Stellato may not have gotten the chance to take as many visits as he would have preferred, he's still confident in his decision. He says he feels at home in at Clemson.

"They showed me everything I wanted to see," Stellato said. "Told me a lot of things I really wanted to hear. It felt like home, it really did." 

In the end however, it was Dabo Swinney and the culture he has created at Clemson that won Stellato over. That, along with the track record the Tigers have of successful wide receivers coming through the program.

"I fell in love with everything they preach about Coach Swinney," Stellato said. "What he preaches and how he runs his program. There really wasn't a program like it. How he runs things. And they produce great wide receivers."