Recruiting: Clemson Cancels Summer Camps

Clemson made it official Monday when they announced via email that any one on one and athletic camps scheduled to be on campus this summer are being canceled due to the Coronavirus. This is a fairly big blow to Dabo Swinney’s youth and high school camps.

“We recognize summer experiences have positive impacts both on those participating and the entire Clemson community, but by taking these proactive steps now, we believe we’re putting our university in the strongest position possible to support our students and our university’s long-term success.”

Clemson University

The high school camps last two weeks and last summer 1,100 rising eighth through 12th-graders from 31 states attended Swinney’s camp. The camps give Dabo and the coaching staff a chance to work in person and one on one with possible recruits. It also is the time used by the coaching staff to give out offers to junior players while creating the foundation for future relationships with up and coming sophomores and freshmen. 

The question becomes how big of a blow is this to recruiting, because it without a doubt will have an effect. This will take a toll on every college football program throughout the summer in some way, some more than others.

As noted above,Clemson relies heavily on its summer camps when it comes to recruiting. Even more so, the biggest recruiting event of the year is held every summer when the staff holds the annual All In Cookout, and it will be interesting to see if this is also canceled.

Clemson has used the Cookout to close the deal for numerous elite level recruits over the years. It is an event in which a recruit can bring along his family to really get to see the family-first culture that the coaching staff has in place.

Clemson fans can count on one thing though, and that is the fact that this coaching staff will have the best backup plan possible in place. They can be assured that Dabo Swinney and crew are already looking at what they can do to lessen the blow and keep the recruiting train that they have had moving at full steam over the last several years rolling right along.