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South Carolina is Clemson’s geographic and traditional rival. Georgia is more pertinent to the Tigers’ conversation in the big picture, and the blood boils hot there. There is something to be said for running into Alabama with the national championship trophy at stake year after year, too.

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Yet an argument could be made that Ohio State has emerged as every bit the nemesis to Clemson as any foe, dually on the field and on the recruiting trail.

You can sense the tension in coaches’ comments and fan message boards, and the heated recruitments – see Deshaun Watson, Raekwon McMillan and Jackson Carman among others – have embodied that spirit.

Clemson nabbed Strongsville (Ohio) four-star offensive lineman Blake Miller from the Buckeyes’ backyard to christen its 2022 class, while OSU scored mutual four-star junior receiver target Caleb Burton on the heels of significantly flipping four-star corner Jordan Hancock from the Tigers’ commitment list last summer.

As the latest installment of their series sets to unfold with Friday’s Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Tigerillustrated.com takes an inside look at several highly rated mutual targets Clemson and Ohio State are already major factors with heading into the New Year.