Former Clemson DE Coach Chris Rumph has decided to take his talents to Tuscaloosa. This is good and bad news for Carolina.
The good news: Rumph was an important recruiter for Clemson, and with the coaching changes in Pickens County already spelling potential problems for Clemson's highly regarded recruiting class, Rumph's departure may mean that the Tigers lose some key incoming freshmen. That would obviously be good for Carolina's push to establish long-term state supremacy.
The bad news: Rumph was recruiting Jadeveon Clowney and Phillip Dukes for Clemson, and both players apparently like Rumph quite a bit. Don't doubt for a minute that Nick Saban made this move at least partially with a mind to nab commitments from these two prospects. Will it work? Remains to be seen. Clowney is widely reported to have privately made his decision to attend Carolina, and Dukes apparently favors us quite a bit. But when Saban is involved, you can never feel safe. He'll always go the extra mile for a recruit, and more often than not, he wins.
One other bit of good news today: The Dixons are now Gamecocks. They are friends of Clowney's in addition to being quality prospects in their own rights.