Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney will welcome 15 mid-year enrollments when the Tigers begin spring training in just over a month.
This number represents an all-time high for the program and includes 11 players who have been rated 4 or 5 star candidates by the 247Sports Composite.
Four defenders are among the early arrivals who could help rebuild a defensive front that has lost three starters in Bryan Bresee, Myles Murphy and KJ Henry.
Here are five things to know about Clemson’s newest group of early arrivals:
Jamal Anderson has a strong bloodline
Does Jamal Anderson look familiar? It should. Anderson is the son of former Atlanta Falcons runner Jamal Anderson, who played in the NFL for eight years, racked up four 1,000-yard seasons and earned first-team All-Pro and Pro-Bowl honors in 1998.
The younger Anderson is a versatile player from Buford, Georgia, who helped Mill Creek to a state title last season by recording 56 tackles as a linebacker and 12 receptions for 172 yards as a close end.
A “bear” Bryant connection
One of Clemson’s early enrollments is quarterback Paul Tyson, who may be a freshman in the program but is far from a freshman. A great-grandson of legendary Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, 22-year-old Tyson played three seasons in Alabama before moving to Arizona State ahead of the 2022 season.
Tyson, a former standout at Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.) High where he rushed for more than 6,500 yards and 69 touchdowns, has seen limited time in college but is expected to replace Hunter Johnson as the veteran voice in the quarterback room.
dabo Swinney’s mining talent from Alabama
Tyson is one of four mid-year enrollments from Swinney’s home state of Alabama. The list also includes quarterback Chris Vizzina, defenseman Tomarrion Parker and Peter Woods, the latter of whom is Clemson’s only five-star signee in the class.
Parker comes from Central High in Phenix City, Alabama, which produced recent Clemson players Justyn Ross, Ray Thornton and EJ Williams, and current safety Caleb Nix.
Clemson has signed at least four players from Alabama in consecutive years for the first time since at least 1972.
Vic Burley could be optimistic early on
Warner Robins, Georgia’s Vic Burley could make an impact on Clemson’s defensive front sooner rather than later.
The 6-foot-5, 276-pound Burley, who is a cousin of Clemson’s defensive run game coordinator and defensive tackle coach Nick Eason, had an impressive tally in his 47-game high school career, including 188 tackles, 55 tackles for loss, 22 sacks and 138 quarterback rushes.
Seven early arrivals out Georgia
Georgia continues to be a stronghold for Clemson recruiting, so it’s not surprising that seven of the Tigers enrolled midyear are from the Peach State.
Eleven of Clemson’s 26 signers in the Class of 2023 are from Georgia, the most since 1985 when the Tigers also signed 11 Georgia products. It’s the fourth time in the last five years that Georgia has produced more players than any other state in Clemson’s recruiting class.