Friday Digest: More fireworks to come as summer comes to a close

Bryce Davis is a high 4-star recruit who makes his commitment call soon.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Friday, July 12 2024

One of the more action-packed off-seasons will come to a close over the next few weeks, but it won't go out with a whimper. More action is sure to come.

Once the spring games are complete and the high school camps close, there is usually a five-week period that I call The Big Quiet. Some call it Dark Territory. It’s a time for vacations, looking back at the recent year, and making plans for the next season.

With the baseball transfer portal, NIL, recruiting, and Clemson’s court case against the Atlantic Coast Conference, this has been an off-season like no other. That brings us to the Friday Digest. We will start with the lawsuits.

Clemson and the ACC are back in court this morning, this time in Pickens County, where the ACC has asked the court to stay the case (stop legal proceedings). A North Carolina judge – where the conference has sued Clemson – has said that the case should be heard in that state. Clemson has appealed, and both sides have filed documents concerning both (the decision and the appeal) that will surely be the first order of business when the Honorable Perry H. Gravely begins proceedings.

Meanwhile, it feels like we’ve regressed a decade. Remember when The Dude was trumpeting a Clemson move to the Big 12? That, of course, didn’t happen, but now there are rumors on a certain social media platform that both Clemson and Florida State would have options in the Big 12 should a move to the SEC or the Big Ten not work out.

I’ve been asked about this a hundred times over the last few days, and all I can say is this: While I am sure that both Clemson and Florida St. (and I am hearing UNC) have had preliminary discussions with both those conferences and the TV networks, any move would have to be preceded by an announcement of leaving the ACC. Until Clemson and Florida St. can work out the details and own their own media rights once the departure occurs, all of that other stuff is just noise.

I do believe – and this is just me – that at some point the sides will sit down and hammer out an agreement and settle out of court. The next step in that process is today in Pickens.

Now, let’s take a look at recruiting, where it hasn’t been all good news since the start of June. In 2023, the coaching staff followed a big recruiting weekend with several commitments that wound up being the cornerstone of the 2024 recruiting class. There hasn’t been the same pop this year – following the big official visit weekend the first weekend of June, the Tigers landed commitments from Graceson Littleton and Rowan Byrne.

Quarterback Tait Reynolds announced his decision this past Sunday after a camp visit.

Of the 16 uncommitted prospects who attended that weekend, 75 percent will commit or have offered a commitment to another school. The misses along the offensive line have been glaring, and people are constantly asking, how much is NIL playing a part?

Look, it plays a part, especially in the recruitment of someone like 5-star David Sanders. But not every recruiting loss can be blamed on NIL. Along the offensive line, the Clemson coaches are fighting against history and the Tigers’ lack of success at that spot.

There have really been just a few that I can say for sure were NIL-related. But the Tigers might get some good news if edge rusher Bryce Davis chooses Clemson on July 20. He was considered a lean to Georgia, but the Bulldogs are looking at a numbers crunch at that spot. Clemson’s opposition is South Carolina and Duke, and you have to like the Tigers’ chances with the likes of Nick Eason and Chris Rumph leading the charge for Clemson.

A Davis commitment would be lead to some positive momentum heading into the All-In Cookout in two weeks.