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1. And so the stretch run for Clemson’s recruiting class begins.

That feels crazy to express, what with more than three months remaining before National Signing Day.

Moreover, what little business the Tigers have conducted between the summer and deadline day in recent years has tended to come later on the calendar.

But observers of Clemson recruiting would probably all agree this has been a different cycle in a lot of ways. Alas, in that sense, the next few weeks are holding to form.

While they still managed to attract a handful of pertinent targets, the Tigers’ preceding home games against Wake Forest and Boston College always stood to be recruiting filler until this final series of three home games in four weeks arrived.

Florida State will remain Clemson’s top draw regardless of the Seminoles’ record, so its Nov. 11 contest figures to boast plenty of star power. The subsequent Nov. 18 game with The Citadel presents the opportune time to bring in the wave of official visitors who are looking at early enrollment, including seven commitments.

Clemson has also been forced into action earlier by the advent of the early signing period, which runs Dec. 20-22.

And yet the ball gets rolling even earlier for one big reason.

2. As we state annually, Clemson's staff shies away from allowing official visits on game weekends unless the prospect is a midyear enrollee. Even then, the Tigers want to push the date as late as possible, and they almost always try to avoid having them on a big-game weekend a la next month’s FSU match-up.

To this end, we cannot recall a case when the Tigers hosted an official visit before November.

Until this week.

The exemption is a special case indeed: Clemmons (N.C.) West Forsyth five-star defensive end K.J. Henry.