SHOP for officially-licensed Clemson gear at The Tiger Fan Shop HERE!
Two years ago, Clemson's 2020 signing class was about to be set in ink and we wrote the following:
And we can't get away from the feeling that the ongoing California gold rush by two gold-standard programs from the Southeast is going to produce some defining long-term themes.
About that date in January of 2023: That's when the CFP national title game will be played in Los Angeles.
The champion will be decided at SoFi Stadium, future home of the Rams and Chargers. That's in Inglewood, less than 15 miles from D.J. Uiagalelei's high school and less than 40 miles from Bryce Young's high school.
Join Tigerillustrated.com subscribers on The West Zone message board!
Uiagalelei and Young both figure to be juniors at Clemson and Alabama by that time. It's not at all crazy to think the Tigers and Crimson Tide, both of which continue to recruit better than almost everyone else, could be matched in a SoCal showdown -- and showcase of two powerhouses siphoning the homegrown talent from the back yard of USC and other Pac-12 programs.
Yes, what has happened since is a testament to just how quickly things can change over a period of two years.
When the aforementioned passage was written, Clemson was a few weeks removed from a loss to LSU in the national title game and it felt like the orange Tigers would be back soon.
They fell a game short in 2020, getting smacked by Ohio State in the 2020 CFP semifinal, and didn't come close last season before ending their season in the Cheez-It Bowl.
