College football's early signing period is still just getting started, but we already have a clubhouse leader for juiciest quote. On Wednesday morning, five-star offensive lineman Jackson Carman out of Fairfield, Ohio, surprised many by committing to Clemson, not the hometown favorite Ohio State.
It was a huge win for Clemson coach Dabo Swinney to go north and pluck an elite prospect and a brutal, although certainly not insurmountable, loss for the Buckeyes, namely because they rarely lose out on top in-state kids. But it was Carman's explanation for his choice that really raised eyebrows. Per Ari Wasserman of The Athletic, Swinney apparently suggested to Carman that Ohio State coach Urban Meyer's best coaching days were behind him.
For what it's worth, USA Today's Dan Wolken, who was in Clemson on Wednesday, says Swinney didn't exactly deny the quote to reporters, though he did seem to downplay the vitriol.
Before anyone gets completely bent out of shape about this -- it's not like recruiting enthusiasts to get easily upset over something -- let's digest this one piece at a time
First, negative recruiting is widespread. Just about everyone tosses in negative jabs about recruiting rivals at some point, even if they claim otherwise. It's part of the game. Furthermore, to call that conversation "negative recruiting" is stretching the meaning of the term when there are far more egregious ways coaches can undermine one another on the trail. In Carman's own words, that discussion didn't even play a huge role in his decision anyway. It's not like he's going to be in college for 10 years to witness this supposed final leg of Meyer's coaching arc.
Second, the accuracy of the statement is up to interpretation. Meyer is 53. Swinney is 48. That's five years of difference, which is hardly anything. In fact, you could say both coaches still have plenty of golden years left. On the other hand, Meyer already infamously left Florida in 2010 (and flirted with leaving one year prior) citing "health concerns" before returning to college to coach the Buckeyes in 2011.
Ultimately, a lot of things are said in recruiting and no one really knows their true meaning other than the parties at hand.
All of this would have been a lot more interesting if Ohio State had earned a playoff spot instead of Ohio State since it would have put the Buckeyes against the Tigers in the Sugar Bowl for one of the semifinal matchups. For now, we'll have to settle for fun signing period fodder.