Wow! Clemson head coach Oliver Purnell is leaving the Tigers for DePaul University. Per our SB Nation colleagues at Shakin the Southland:

Much too late for me to have much reaction, but it is surprising nonetheless. Perhaps OP agrees with those who said he plateaued here, but Clemson's AD was giving him the new practice facility as far as our sources have said. I'd go get Stevens from Butler in a heartbeat if I were TDP. However at this hour I'm just as sleepy as he is 24/7.

I'd call surprising an understatement. Why Purnell would want to leave Clemson, a program he had taken to the brink of the ACC's upper echelon, for a team that has struggled for years to compete in the brutal Big East, is completely beyond me. As STS point out, Clemson even appeared to be ready to give Purnell better facilities to help him compete with UNC, Duke, and the rest of the national powers on the recruiting plane. I suppose Purnell may have resented the rumblings coming from some parts of the Upstate, but even in that case, I find this a surprising move.

Whatever the case may be as to why Purnell decided to go this route, his move is likely a good thing for Darrin Horn's Gamecocks. A lot depends, of course, on who TDP and IPTAY manage to bring in to replace Purnell, but chances are it won't be a step up. That should give Horn an opportunity to make some waves on the recruiting trail.