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MONDAY INSIDER

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1. We’ve rounded the third turn, and the finish line is starting to come into view.

Clemson held its annual big, final recruiting weekend for the season in conjunction with Saturday’s 52-3 shellacking of Wake Forest.

Standard operating procedure is, for the final non-South Carolina home game, to bring in the committed prospects who will be midyear enrollees for official visits. Then sprinkle in any uncommitted top targets with pending decisions heading into the December early signing period.

Senior Day triggers another piece to the puzzle, as we start to gain clarity on to what degree attrition plays a role in the available scholarship numbers.

As we wrote last week, Clemson has 10 guaranteed scholarships coming off the books because of exhausted eligibility. But the staff will recruit for more spots because attrition invariably occurs; there will be NFL Draft departures as well as players who move on with eligibility remaining, be it transfer or graduation.

Four players with remaining eligibility were honored Saturday among the seniors. And while the school says the door remains open for their return, inclusion in Senior Day festivities is usually a strong indicator for departure.

Redshirt junior linebacker/safety Isaiah Simmons headlined the group as a projected high NFL Draft pick, and here’s guaranteeing his scholarship was already built into the coaches’ planning.

The three other departures who add to the scholarship total are redshirt junior offensive tackle Chandler Reeves, redshirt junior corner Brian Dawkins Jr. and redshirt junior former walk-on receiver Carter Groomes.

Five-star Clemson running back commit Demarkcus Bowman is shown here in Death Valley last Saturday afternoon.
Five-star Clemson running back commit Demarkcus Bowman is shown here in Death Valley last Saturday afternoon. (Tigerillustrated.com)

Obviously there are more departures anticipated internally, specifically several early NFL Draft entrants.

But a reminder for the there’s-always-room crowd that Dabo Swinney does not overbook and is conservative in attrition planning. Position coaches always tend to want more, but we have repeatedly been told they have to craft a convincing case for Swinney to grant another number unless it’s just a generational talent.

As the regular season approaches its close, estimates have begun turning into firm numbers to work with.

More on those numbers in a bit …

2. Before we get going with those on hand this past weekend, a word on the notable target who wasn’t there.

Columbia (S.C.) Hammond School five-star defensive end Jordan Burch did not show, thereby going the whole season without making a Clemson game.

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