Such a key stretch in Clemson recruiting lies ahead.

The Tigers go into January armed with more vacancies this late in the cycle than any year in recent memory.

Yet maybe more significantly, they are about to move forward in trying to put together one of the largest classes of the Dabo Swinney era. And they do so while dealing with several unique challenges that will put their recruiting ability to the test.

In this series, Tigerillustrated.com goes position by position and takes an inside look at whom Clemson is courting and where it stands with the leading candidates on its board.