Cool Clemzin CJ recruiting story from the Athletic

Jul 3, 2023, 8:25 AM

C&P on my phone so sorry if it’s a little janky. I’d have to put DW above CJ in terms of significance to the program, recruit-wise, but I do remember what a big deal it was when we landed him. Cool inside stories on it.

The gym went silent for what C.J. Spiller believes had to have been a full seven seconds. No one at Union County High School in Lake Butler, Fla., could believe what they just heard.

Did he just say … Clemson?

“It was like that golf situation when the guy hits a long putt. (The crowd) sees the ball going, it’s like, ‘Uh, I think it’s going in,’ and then boom, it goes in and everybody starts clapping,” Spiller tells The Athletic. “That’s what it was like: ‘Uh, I think he said Clemson — all right, let’s be happy for him.’”

ADVERTISEMENT

It had been an emotional recruitment for Clifford Spiller Jr., a five-star prospect and arguably the nation’s best running back in the Class of 2006. As a boy, the Florida State fan — wearing jersey No. 28 in honor of running back Warrick Dunn — figured he’d one day play for the Seminoles. Once he was in high school, Urban Meyer and Florida, the hometown school just 40 minutes away, made a strong push. The Gators appeared to be the favorite as signing day neared.

“I just really thought,” Spiller’s mother, Patricia Watkins, says, “it was gonna be Florida.”

All the while, though, Spiller couldn’t get his connection with a young, eager wide receivers coach in upstate South Carolina out of his head.

Dabo Swinney had been told countless times he had no business recruiting a five-star prospect such as Spiller. Clemson didn’t land those types of recruits. But Swinney, then 36, was steadfast in his belief that Spiller’s recruitment could change that.

Seventeen years later, Spiller is a College Football Hall of Famer who is in his third season as the Tigers running backs coach. He is universally considered Clemson’s most significant recruit in program history, helping lay the foundation for an influx of talent that helped the Tigers to six College Football Playoff appearances and two national titles since 2015.

“When I came to Clemson I just felt like we just didn’t have this belief that we could recruit the best players, win at the highest level, and he was kind of the first one that really started to change that,” Swinney says.

“He was Superman.”

(Editor’s note: All participants in this story are listed as they were during Spiller’s recruitment.)

Swinney, Clemson wide receivers coach and Florida-area recruiter: The first time I heard about him was his junior year, so 2004.

Burton Burns, Clemson running backs coach: His film was amazing. He had all of the critical factors that a running back should have.

ADVERTISEMENT

Stan Drayton, Florida running backs coach: Obviously, when you’re at a place like Florida, you’re trying to get the best of the best. And it just so happened that we had the best at that position just 20 minutes away from campus.

Urban Meyer, Florida coach: I used to tell people, “If you can run, we’ll find you.”

Tommy Bowden, Clemson head coach: His athleticism just jumped off the screen.

Swinney: Getting film in those days was like an act of Congress. … (But) I remember the first time I put the — I’m pretty sure it was a VHS tape — in, I was like, “Ho-ly cow. OK, this is different.”

Burns: He was the whole package, no doubt. He really was. That’s why I told (Swinney) it would be hard to get him from out of Florida.

Drayton: There was indication early on that he really wanted to be close to home. So obviously we went all in.

Meyer: We had just won the national title and we were loaded. We had Percy (Harvin). I thought, oh, my gosh, we could be the greatest team of all time if we get this guy.

Drayton: All my instincts told me that I was getting ready to coach a hell of a football player in C.J.

Swinney: But all along — I think everybody just thought I was wasting my time and — I’d be like, “Well, I’m telling you: He says we’re in it.”

Spiller: Everybody thought (Swinney) was cuckoo, I guess you would say, just because of the five-star rating.

Burns: Oh, I did.

Swinney: That particular year, I had another kid in Tallahassee (Marcus Sims) that we were recruiting that was a really good back and then Burton Burns had a guy in Mississippi (Terry Grant) who was a really good player.

Bowden: The running back out of Mississippi was the top running back in the state of Mississippi. And then the one in Florida, if C.J. was No. 1, then he was like, the No. 4 or 5 player in the state.

ADVERTISEMENT

Swinney: We were only gonna take one.

Burns: Obviously, C.J. was the No. 1 guy on our board.

Swinney: I went down that spring (in 2005). I made sure that I planned where I could go and watch a practice … and man, was just super excited and got to know a lot about him.

In those days, you just would come off the road after four weeks and everybody would sit in there and we’d build this big board. We get to running backs. And I can’t wait.

Burns: C.J. being from Florida … my initial thought was, “Well, it’s gonna be really hard to get him from over there.”

Swinney: I remember when we were first talking about Spiller, it was like, “Ah, OK, yeah, he’s a great one, he’s probably the best one out there, but hey — we’re not gonna get him. We better focus on these (other) guys.”

And I’m just like, “Well why can’t we get him?” I was the new guy and it was like, “OK, well, hey — you go on, try hard. Good luck.”

Spiller: I treated him just like I treated all the rest of the recruiters. I took their information, took their cards and did my own research. But every time we talked, there was just something different. … It wasn’t always about X’s and O’s, it was a ton about to do with family, because at the time when I was coming out, my daughter was getting ready to be born, so it was a lot of conversations … that I really didn’t have with anybody else.

Patricia Watkins, Spiller’s mother: When Coach Swinney (had his first in-home visit) … I had done, like maybe two double shifts and I had just gotten off work.

I can remember this guy coming in with all this energy and just saying just lots of, “HEY, MOM! I’m here!” I’m like “Oh my — who is this?” C.J. was like, “Mama, this is Coach Swinney.”

Swinney stayed in touch with Spiller throughout the spring and fall of 2005 via visits and phone calls. But he knew he needed to get him on campus. So in December 2005, when Clemson accepted an invitation to the Champs Sports Bowl against Colorado in Orlando, Fla., Swinney flew up to Lake Butler to make his pitch. Signing Day was just more than a month away.

ADVERTISEMENT

Swinney: At this point, it was getting kind of serious and he’s like, “I’m gonna take a visit.” So I’m like, “OK.” I pull out one of my business cards and I flipped over the business card and … was like, “OK, if he’ll sign this card, then he’s coming. I know he’s a man of his word.”

So I (wrote), “I, (C.J. Spiller) agree to visit Clemson in January of ’06,” and just kind of had some fun with him. He signed it.

Watkins: One thing about my son, he is definitely a man of his word.

Spiller: I still remember, it was Martin Luther King weekend.

Watkins (laughing): When the recruiting process started, he and I made an agreement that I would be on all the official visits with him, and it’s funny because Clemson was the only one I wasn’t on. I didn’t go because we had just left Florida and he was like, “Mama, I’m flying out to Carolina.” And I’m like, “Carolina?!”

He’s like, “Yes, ma’am. I’m going on a visit — a school there.” I’m like, “Well what is in Carolina? What school is in Carolina?” and he said, “Clemson.” And I’m like, “Well, OK, but this wasn’t our agreement.”

Spiller: Somehow (Clemson) got word that Florida wasn’t gonna let me out in time because I was flying straight from Gainesville to Atlanta. … So it was like, “Hey, we’re getting word that they’re not gonna let you out. They’re gonna try to hold you so you don’t make the visit.” I’m like, “Man, y’all ain’t gotta worry about that. … I’ll make sure that I’m on time for the flight departure.”

Spiller landed in Atlanta, and Swinney drove him two hours back to Clemson. As part of the visit, he scarfed down a full rack of ribs at nearby restaurant Copper River Grill and enjoyed a house party of about 30 people thrown by running back James Davis and wide receiver Jacoby Ford, who had stayed back during the holiday weekend in order to host him. After Spiller’s first full day at Clemson, his mother called him on Sunday night.

ADVERTISEMENT

Watkins: I’m like, “OK. Give it to me. Let Mama know. How was it? Do you think that’s a school that you would like to consider for the next four years?” And he said these words right here, and whenever he said this quote, I knew that he was for real. His quote was: “Ohhh, yeah.”

And so when he said that, I’m like, “OK. Let me do this research on Clemson University.”

Shortly after Spiller’s Clemson visit and about a week before Bowden would come down with Swinney for his head coach visit, Spiller told Swinney he was “99 percent” sure he’d be committing to the Tigers.

Swinney: I did not expect that. That really caught me off guard.

Charlotte Emerson, Union County High School teacher and two-time Florida grad: My husband and I picked him up from the airport. … And he got in my car, and Dabo … called him and said, “Thanks for coming to visit with us,” blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, “hope you had a really nice visit,” whatever.

And I kind of had a lump in my throat at that point. And I thought, “Hmm. This may not be good.”

Swinney: Now it’s getting serious because guys are getting close to making decisions and C.J. has told me “99 percent.” And so I told Coach
Bowden. And I said, “Now look, you’re gonna have to tell Coach Bowden, C.J.”

Bowden: When we went for a home visit, he was supposed to tell me. (Swinney) said, “Coach, he’s gonna tell ya. He’s gonna tell ya he’s coming.”

Spiller: I knew in my heart up until that time that I wanted to come to Clemson, but I hadn’t told anybody. I kind of wanted to keep it under wraps until, really, the signing day, and obviously I wanted to let my mom know because I knew (about) the relationships that she had built with these other schools — especially coach Urban Meyer. That was her guy.

Meyer: He was a wonderful kid with a great mom from a great town.

Spiller: Coach Meyer did a great job with her. Out of everybody, he probably did the best job with my mom.

Watkins: He did. He did.

Swinney: And so anyway, the night goes, the night goes. We’re just having a big time. And then finally it’s like, time to go, and he’s not said a word.

Bowden: We sat in that house for about two hours — he never said anything. … So we’re going outside and I think Dabo says, “He’ll tell you outside. He didn’t want to say it in front of his mother.”

Spiller: They were wanting me to do it right there as we were walking out. I’m like, “I don’t want to do it right now. I’m telling y’all I’m coming, but I want to surprise my mom on signing day,” which was like the following week.

Bowden: He didn’t say nothing outside but “goodbye.” So I still didn’t feel real good. But him and Dabo went over behind the car and had that secret handshake and all that stuff and so he told Dabo again.

Swinney: I’m excited … and I remember calling Burton to tell him. Burton’s like, “He ain’t coming to Clemson.” … Because he’s still gotta go to Tallahassee. That’s gonna be his last (official) visit.

The next day, Bobby Bowden comes in and they had a huge barbecue for him at the house.

Spiller: They were the only coaches my grandfather cooked food for because it was Bobby Bowden coming to town.

Swinney (laughing): We got, like, a bottle of water and some popcorn. But Bobby Bowden comes in, they have this huge barbecue and it’s a big ordeal.

Bowden: The head coach is the only guy who can say, “OK, we’re gonna cut the guy in Mississippi loose, cut the guy from Florida loose and Dabo — we’re gonna go with it. You think we can get him? We’re gonna go with it.

C.J. was a Christian guy and I was a Christian guy and C.J. said he was praying about the decision, and I said, “Well, C.J., I’m praying too, and just remember, we’re praying to the same God. And my God’s telling me you’re coming to Clemson.”

Heading into the final weekend of recruiting, Clemson got word that Grant, the top running back in Mississippi, might be ready to commit to the program. The Tigers had one spot — and wanted it to go to Spiller.

Swinney: Coach Bowden calls me and he goes, “Hey, look. We’ve got a problem.” I’m like, “What’s the problem?” He says, “It sounds like (Grant) is gonna commit,” and Burton, he’s wanting to — we need to send the plane down there. Send Burton down there.

Burns: We were not not believing (Swinney about Spiller), but we wanted to make sure that we didn’t lose him and Terry Grant.

Swinney: I said, “Why don’t I call him? I’ll be perfectly honest with him, I’ll lay it all out to him, and I’ll basically just tell him (we needed an answer) and give him an out.”

Spiller: He was like, “Hey, man. We’ve got this kid that wants us to fly down because he wants us to be at I guess his ceremony announcement or whatever.”

Swinney: I said, “If there’s any hesitation at all, if you have any just — doubt — at all that this is what you wanna do man, please let me know because this is a big deal. You’re the guy, but we’ve got to make sure we get a great player here and not miss out on everybody.”

Spiller: He literally said, “Do we need to send the plane to Mississippi?” And I vividly told him. I said, “Coach, don’t send that plane to Mississippi.”

Before Swinney hung up the phone with Spiller, he told him to enjoy his trip to Florida State that weekend — Spiller’s final official visit before signing day on the following Wednesday.

Spiller: (The FSU official) was a weird visit because I kind of knew in my heart as much as I want to really come to this institution and really put on that garnet and gold, I had to set aside my emotions and I guess you could say my fan love for that school and really just soak it in.

On that ride home I kind of knew: “Man, that’s probably the last time I’m gonna be on that campus not going up against them for the next several years.”

As signing day arrived, Clemson had officially cut loose its other running backs. It would be Spiller or bust. But for as confident as the Tigers felt, again, there was just one problem leading into Wednesday.

The night before, an assistant coach at Florida State had called Tommy Bowden around midnight to tell him that a couple of Florida players — including Tim Tebow — had driven to Spiller’s house that night to take him out, perhaps as a final effort to tip the scales in Florida’s favor.

Spiller: Me and Tebow, we were great friends.

Swinney: I’m literally about to vomit because … I couldn’t get him. I couldn’t get him. He had stopped communicating.

Bowden: The last time we talked to him was maybe some time Tuesday afternoon, Tuesday night and he’s with Tim Tebow going down to 7-Eleven eating a daggum slushie and potato chips, talking.

Spiller (laughing): Honestly, I don’t know where that story came from. … The night before signing day, I was in my freaking bedroom thinking about this decision that I’m getting ready to make in front of all the student body at my school — knowing that half this town is either a Seminole or a Gator.

I kind of just did away with my phone and kind of really just wanted to really just clear my mind.

Swinney: So now it’s signing day and I’ll never forget this. We’re all huddled around this little computer in my office. … He gets up there and he starts talking and right before, on his way up there, he kind of hands his mom a little piece of paper. And everybody in this gym thought he was going to Florida or Florida State. And the whole time, I’m sick to my stomach.

Watkins: He slipped me the paper and I saw, “Clemson University.”

Emerson: When he said “I’m going to Clemson,” the majority of the people in that room went (gasps), “What? What’d he say?”

Spiller: I tell people all the time, excuse my French, (but) you probably could have heard a mouse #### on cotton when I announced. That’s how quiet it got.

Swinney: There was like an eruption on this campus. But it was dead silent where he was in the gym.

Watkins: If you would have dropped a pin in that gym, you would have literally heard it.

Drayton: I don’t remember a whole lot after he said Clemson. After that, I think I went dead silent and numb like everyone else.

Meyer: It was the first time I really felt Clemson. We didn’t recruit against Clemson.

Burns: Dabo’s like a bulldog. He wouldn’t give up.

Swinney: That night, (C.J.’s) mom calls me and she is just ripping me a new one.

Spiller: This was before she was saved. So she probably had some good Union County words for him.

Swinney: She’s so mad at me. … it’s not that she had anything against Clemson. She just wanted him to go to Florida.

Watkins (laughing): I was so hoping that he didn’t remember that moment.

Spiller: Me being 30 minutes from UF and her having the opportunity to see her baby boy play each and every Saturday was something that she wanted. And Clemson being six hours away, I didn’t have any family members up there at all from South Carolina.

But when we came up here at the spring game … it kind of gave her an ease, like, “OK, my baby, he’s gonna be fine.” She was like, “I see why you like this place.”

Swinney: She and I are best friends now. We laugh about it.

(Jeff Blake / The State / Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Spiller went on to star at Clemson, where he set ACC records for all-purpose yards in a season (2,680) and career (7,588) that still stand. He was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and is still considered one of the most dominant — and beloved — recruits in Clemson history.

Drayton: The last I saw C.J. was at the Hall of Fame dinner in Vegas. … I just gave him a big ol’ hug and kind of nipped him in the gut a little bit and said, “Man, I still wish I could have coached you.”

Emerson: To this day, we stay in touch. … At C.J.’s wedding, Miss Pat wanted me to be her hype woman, so I gave a little speech before she did the toast and I said, “You know, last night, Coach Dabo was in the room.” I said, “Coach, when you walked in the door, I thought I was over C.J.’s recruitment. But when I saw you, I wanted to kick you in the shin. So I guess I’m not over it.”

Spiller: You talk about a kid from Union County who had a huge impact on people’s lives? That’s something that as a kid I wouldn’t envision at the time.

Burns: Kudos to Dabo, because when nobody else believed, he did.

Ari Wasserman contributed to this story.

(Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic; photos: Eliot J. Schechter, Scott Halleran, Rex Brown, Bill Frakes / Getty Images)

https://theathletic.com/4328967/2023/07/03/cj-spiller-clemson-football/?source=user_shared_article

flag link

military_tech

thumb_down

thumb_up

Cool Clemzin CJ recruiting story from the Athletic

“Coach, don’t send that plane to Mississippi.”***

Re: Cool Clemzin CJ recruiting story from the Athletic

Oh, then the article should be changed to read:

Re: Cool Clemzin CJ recruiting story from the Athletic

TigerBoard POTD