Before Dabo Swinney’s arrival, Clemson was regularly posting recruiting classes ranked between Nos. 10-15 under Tommy Bowden.

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The highest steps are the hardest to climb. But the Tigers have progressed to the elite point that finishing among the top-five is the expectation – at least when scholarship numbers allow.

ALSO SEE: HOW CLEMSON RECRUITS: OFFENSIVE LINE | HOW CLEMSON RECRUITS: OFFENSIVE LINE - Part 2 | HOW CLEMSON RECRUITS: RUNNING BACK | HOW CLEMSON RECRUITS: RUNNING BACK - Part 2 | HOW CLEMSON RECRUITS: CORNERBACK | HOW CLEMSON RECRUITS: CORNERBACK - Part 2 | HOW CLEMSON RECRUITS: DEFENSIVE TACKLE | HOW CLEMSON RECRUITS DEFENSIVE TACKLE - Part 2

With Clemson already boasting the specs for another national contender on the heels of a program-best No. 2 class, Tigerillustrated.com is taking a deep dive into how the pieces of the puzzle come together on a position-by-position basis.

In the next installment of this in-depth feature, we lay out the details for how Clemson recruiting uniquely takes shape with defensive ends.