Is Clemson Becoming Tennessee's Biggest Threat on the Recruiting Trail?

Tennessee's football program routinely butts heads in the cutthroat Southeastern Conference recruiting circles with the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Auburn. But there's a new nemesis in town.

Literally in town; like, in the Volunteers' back yard.

That would be the Clemson Tigers, and head coach Dabo Swinney's defending national runners-up are painting the Volunteer State a deeper shade of orange so far in the 2017 recruiting cycle.

As a matter of fact, there's no doubt who Vols coach Butch Jones' biggest rival on the trail has been so far this year.

Swinney is swinging for the fences in Tennessee. He's hit several home runs, too, including July 4's bombshell commitment from 5-star wide receiver Tee Higgins, who's from Oak Ridge, a town in Knoxville's shadow. Higgins' decision came via an explosive Bleacher Report video:

Higgins pledged to the Tigers after once being committed to the Vols, sending shock waves across Big Orange Country. How could a kid who seemed to have genuine love for UT growing up spurn his hometown team?

Part of the reason is his budding relationship with a pair of players whom it also hurt Vols fans to see on the Clemson commitment list—5-star quarterback Hunter Johnson and Knoxville native Amari Rodgers.

Johnson is the nation's top-ranked pro-style passer, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, and he was committed to the Vols for a while, building a relationship with Higgins. The day after Johnson flipped from UT to the other orange team, Higgins decommitted, too.

They wound up together again, at least for now.

Rodgers is a local product who just so happens to be the son of former Tennessee national champion quarterback and current Southern Cal offensive coordinator Tee Martin. So, as good as Jones has been in swaying legacies to UT, the one with perhaps the most decorated father chose to play for Swinney.

It doesn't stop with that trio, either.

Four-star running back Cordarrian Richardson is from Memphis and had a Tennessee offer when he chose the Tigers. Though UT had runners higher on their board at the time, Richardson's pledge foreshadowed the foe. Clemson tackle pledge Blake Vinson was high on UT before committing to the Tigers, too.

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The list goes on and on.

According to the State's Phil Kornblut, the Vols and Tigers are both in the final four for 4-star Virginia Beach defensive end Jordan Williams. 

On Friday, North Carolina linebacker Justin Foster, who has named the Vols his leader, told 247Sports' Ryan Bartow (via GoVols247's Wes Rucker) that the Tigers are pushing UT for his services.

"I know all the coaches well," Foster told 247Sports' Ryan Bartow when asked about Clemson. "I've been down there many times. I know my way around campus. It's just a great relationship, great people. And it's kind of where everyone in my hometown wants me to go."

Most people around Higgins in his hometown wanted him to go to Knoxville, but that didn't stop him from committing elsewhere.

UT has also recruited well in Jackson, Tennessee, which is the home of elite 5-star offensive tackle Trey Smith. Though the Vols are in the thick of that race, Clemson, Alabama and Ole Miss are at the top, too.

Clemson is a constant, nagging presence for the Vols, and it's a battle they're routinely losing. After all, Swinney's Tigers are one of the hottest names in all of college football right now, he's always been known for his recruiting acumen, and quarterback Deshaun Watson is throwing up huge numbers in Death Valley.

They've got that recruiting swagger, and it's a happening place for kids to go these days.

With the Vols and Tigers recruiting in the same circles, that hasn't been good news for UT. Clemson routinely has been a team Tennessee battled for prospects in recent years, but Swinney's team is easily the biggest villain for the Vols in this year's cycle.

This was supposed to be the year when Tennessee restocked the pantry with top-shelf talent. The Vols are losing a ton of quality, experienced players after this season, and the Vols have things set up for a huge year on the recruiting trail since they're able to sign a full class.

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With arguably the best crop of in-state talent ever in the Volunteer State, things set up nicely. But Clemson is putting a huge paw print on those plans.

The Vols aren't devoid of recruiting momentum in the least, currently ranked 12th nationally with 17 commitments, but that class could look a whole lot better with some of those Tigers' pledges. Especially if Higgins was the centerpiece.

Rucker doesn't think UT fans should give up on the star target just yet, given the local pressure, even though he seems firmly committed.

Back in the 1990s, former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer was one of the nation's most elite recruiters, and he regularly raided South Carolina for talent such as Albert Haynesworth, Darwin Walker, Shaun Ellis and Dominique Stevenson.

Those guys outfitted championship teams for a dominant program. 

Now, the Tigers are returning the favor, years later. These are players who could be cornerstones for UT's future, but if they stick with their pledges, they'll be playing in the ACC rather than the SEC.

"Balling out," the Greenville News' Scott Keepfer wrote after Higgins' commitment, "That’s pretty much what Clemson has been doing on the recruiting trails of Tennessee."

It's becoming a national story how Clemson is pilfering talent in a state Jones promised to batten the hatches on, and that's not positive publicity for the Vols' coach, who has built a ton of momentum in recruiting and in a steady uptick of the on-field product since coming to Knoxville.

Perhaps some of these prospects are taking a wait-and-see approach on whether the Vols are ready to back up what they've been selling these past few years in '16, as they're trying to go where the Tigers already are. Clemson is established, and given its easy schedule this year, it may be right back battling for the title.

In other words, this nemesis likely isn't going anywhere. 

The Vols are going to have to win on the football field to keep securing elite recruits, and it just so happens that so far in this year's cycle, they've failed to convince some of their top targets (who are also Clemson's top targets) that they're in as good a shape as the Tigers.

Jones is a dynamic recruiter, but so is Swinney. Considering UT is just now coming out of its decade-long slumber, hardly any of these in-state kids grew up thinking Tennessee was a national power.

Over the past three recruiting cycles, Jones has been able to convince star prospects within state borders—such as Jalen Hurd, Derek Barnett, Todd Kelly Jr., Josh Malone, Drew Richmond, Kyle Phillips—that they're heading back to the top.

Those kids bought in; so far this year, the 2017 class of Tennessee kids haven't.

Maybe they're just wowed by Clemson's new-car smell. After all, the Tigers fell just short of beating hated UT rival Alabama for last year's national title. Swinney swooped in and sold Johnson that his system was a better fit for a pro-style passer, and the peer recruiting took over.

Rodgers and Higgins followed, and that left Tennessee in the cold for three of its most important pieces to the 2017 puzzle. That's recruiting, and Swinney played that game perfectly.

All is not lost for the Vols, however. Tennessee's class is off to a solid start, and with a big year on the gridiron possible, the Vols could build all the recruiting momentum they need by performing when it counts. It's July, after all, not February.

Most importantly, it's not yet September or October. That's when Jones and his Vols get the opportunity to really sell its product—when all those recruiting victories Jones won on the trail the past two years have the chance to shine when it matters most.

If they win those battles, they'll win their fair share in recruiting, and that includes ripping that Swinney-sized thorn from their side. 

For now, though, "Clemson" will remain a cringeworthy name around Tennessee recruiting circles. Unfortunately for the Vols, it appears it'll keep being a hot one with UT targets, too.

All information gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information gathered from 247Sports unless otherwise noted. All stats gathered at CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted.

Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee lead writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.