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1. Healing takes courage, as the quotation goes. And we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it.

I don't know if we can facilitate your healing. But we've been doing plenty of digging as it pertains to Clemson football recruiting. So let's get to it.

First, the bad news. There's no disputing that Clemson losing to its biggest recruiting rival hurts, if by no other deduction than it benefits said rival.

UGA is already tough enough to beat on the trail because of its inherent advantages. As always, there are a handful of mutual targets -- specifically for the 2023 cycle in this instance -- whom both the Tigers and Dawgs are legitimately chasing.

Saturday's 10-3 defeat isn't necessarily going to swing anyone's decision. To that end, we doubt it does. Results are often interpreted as affirmation for what a prospect thinks about a school. Cumming (Ga.) West Forsyth four-star senior tight end Oscar Delp -- whom we've framed as more UGA versus South Carolina, with Clemson a distant third -- was wearing a UGA shirt in the Dawgs' section. That wasn't going to swing.

Yet one cannot dismiss UGA gaining momentum in head-to-head recruiting battles by coming out as the determined better team by outcome, and now the Dawgs have the coming weeks and months to be framed as potential playoff and championship contenders if they hold serve.