Clemson Recruiting: Tigers’ Blue Chip Ratio

After a ten win season that was considered a down year, losing both coordinators along with other coaches, and having a number of decommitments, there’s no way that Clemson could come close to being near the top ten in recruiting this cycle, right?

247sports writer Bud Elliott gives his thoughts on how the 16 blue-chip ratio qualifying teams he listed with a chance to win the National Championship teams in 2021 did during the 2022 recruiting cycle. In other words, teams that have more blue-chip prospects than non over a four year period.

He noted that even after all of the changes Clemson still signed 21 prospects and 10 blue-chip players including No. 1 quarterback Cade Klubnik. It was good enough to give the Tigers the 11th best recruiting class in the country.

His “ratio” is really very simple. It says that in order for a team to be talented enough to win a national championship, they need more four and five star players, or blue-chip prospects, than two star, three star, or unrated players. This has held up incredibly well since 2011.

in other words, Elliott’s blue-chip ratio says that recruiting elite talent is the only way to win national titles in college football. Even though development is important along with coaching, teams are not developing or coaching their way to a championships without bringing in the best of the best players.

Clemson’s 2016 team that had a 52% blue chip ratio, is the lowest to win a national title in the CFP era. For comparison sake, in 2021, Clemson had a 67% blue chip ratio. After signing 21 players in the 2021 recruiting cycle, with 10 of those being blue-chip guys, that number will be down some in 2022.