Clemson’s Battle for 5-Star DT Travis Shaw Far From Over

The dead period that started to seem like it was never going to end absolutely had a negative impact on the way Clemson goes about recruiting high school prospects.

It forced the Tigers coaching staff to take a much slower than normal approach with the 2022 recruiting class and other programs took full advantage of that.

It hurt Clemson in the recruitment of LB Jalon Walker, who ultimately committed to Georgia after the Tigers were considered the leaders for much of the way. It cost them with Ty Simpson, who Clemson lost late to Alabama. Now it might be costing them with Travis Shaw.

The 5-star defensive tackle from Greensboro has been one of the top priorities for Dabo Swinney and the rest of the coaching staff in the 2022 recruiting cycle. However, the dead period stayed in place for more than 15 months, which kept Shaw from visiting the campus for more than a year.

During that time, not only was Georgia able to wipe out the Tigers lead, but so was North Carolina, and now that the dead period is finally over, this has now become a three-team battle.

Shaw was in town for the Elite Retreat and the visit went as well as it possibly could have. Clemson reaffirmed to Shaw how much of a priority he was and the big defensive tackle got a refresher course in exactly what it is he loves about the program.

However, Shaw spent last weekend in Athens, and the Dawgs pulled out all the stops. It was such a successful a visit that it likely catapulted them back into the lead at this point in time.

ATHENS GEORGIA 🐶🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/fBPG7M72st

— Travis Shaw (@cheesy_Trav18) June 21, 2021

This weekend the 5-star prospect heads to Chapel Hill for an official visit, and expect Mack Brown and the Heels to roll out the red carpet. If there was ever a recruit that Brown needed to keep in-state, it is Shaw.

The Tigers having a roster full of young, former blue-chip defensive tackles is another thing that could possibly hurt them in this recruitment. Bryan Bresee, Tre Williams, Payton Page and DaMonte Capehart will all still be around when Shaw gets to college. While it’s possible he could win a starting job as a true freshman, it’s certainly not guaranteed.

That makes next months All In Cookout in July even that much more important. Clemson fans have seen a lot of recruiting magic take place at that event since its inception and if the Tigers are going to land Shaw, they will likely need a little more of that magic this time around.