The Clemson Tigers could land the son of an NFL legend on the recruiting trail.
The Clemson Tigers definitely need some help after a miserable 2025 campaign, as they are sitting at 6-5 heading into their regular-season finale against South Carolina and will finish with their worst record since Dabo Swinney's second year at the helm in 2010.
Clemson may have to hit the transfer portal harder than usual this offseason in order to bolster its roster for 2026, but the Tigers also need to think about future seasons, as well.
That's why Clemson is making a strong push to land top 2027 linebacker Cooper Witten, a five-star prospect who is the No. 1-ranked linebacker in his and the 21st-ranked player overall.
Well, Swinney and Co. have received some pretty big news in that regard, as Witten has listed Clemson among his top 10 schools. The list also includes Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.
There is certainly no shortage of big-name schools on that list, so the Tigers will obviously be facing stiff competition for Witten's services.
Witten has already received over two-dozen offers, so this recruiting battle will surely persist for quite some time.
It's important to note that Witten's father, legendary NFL tight end Jason Witten, played for Tennessee, so it's possible that the Volunteers may have the inside track to land him. It's also worth noting that Witten hails from Argyle, Tx., which could also have the Longhorns, Aggies and Red Raiders an edge over Clemson.
Regardless, the fact that the Tigers are in the running for Witten's services is obviously significant, and landing him could go a long way in helping Clemson return to prominence.
The Tigers have qualified for a bowl game for the 21st straight season, but for a program that reeled off 13 double-digit win campaigns in 14 years between 2011 and 2024, simply playing in a run-of-the-mill bowl game is a hollow victory.
Clemson has also lost four-plus games for the third year in a row. For reference, logged more than two losses just once between 2012 and 2020, which came when the Tigers went 10-3 in 2014.
Clemson won national championships in 2016-17 and 2018-19 and also played in four National Championship Games in five seasons between 2015 and 2019.