Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney did the Tennessee Vols a couple of huge favors
Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney did the Tennessee Vols a couple of big favors over the weekend. Well, it was really Swinney’s team underperforming in a home game against Syracuse that will ultimately help the Vols.Clemson dropped its third game of the season on Saturday, losing to Syracuse 34-21 in front of 80,255 fans […]
Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney did the Tennessee Vols a couple of big favors over the weekend.
Well, it was really Swinney’s team underperforming in a home game against Syracuse that will ultimately help the Vols.
Clemson dropped its third game of the season on Saturday, losing to Syracuse 34-21 in front of 80,255 fans in Memorial Stadium.
Clemson’s loss to Syracuse helps Tennessee in a couple of ways
Tennessee was probably as happy as anyone to see Clemson lose to Syracuse this past weekend.
For starters, the Tigers’ loss to the Orange makes Tennessee’s blowout win over Syracuse in the season-opener look even better. That could be important later this season when the College Football Playoff committee starts ranking teams.
Secondly, Clemson’s loss at home could help Tennessee flip a key recruit.
Dre Quinn, a 2026 four-star edge rusher, has been committed to Clemson since June. The Vols, however, are working hard to flip the talented recruit.
Quinn, 6-4, 228 pounds, from Buford, GA, is rated in 247Sports’ composite rankings as the No. 35 edge rusher in the nation.
On3’s Chad Simmons noted on Monday that Quinn, who visited Tennessee for its game against Georgia, is on flip watch after the Tigers’ loss to Syracuse.
“The Vols have made flipping [Quinn] a top priority,” wrote Simmons. “Communication between Quinn and Tennessee has ramped up in recent weeks, and sources indicate he would like to reach a final decision sooner rather than later on his commitment to the Tigers.”
Simmons also noted that Georgia Tech and Texas are in the mix to flip Quinn.
Clemson has been a thorn in the side of Tennessee for over a decade, regularly stealing key recruits from the Volunteers (Trevor Lawrence, Tee Higgins, Amari Rodgers, etc). With Clemson trending in the wrong direction, it seems it’s Tennessee’s turn to be a thorn in the Tigers’ side.
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