Urban Meyer thought he had seen just about every recruiting trick in the book. Then Dabo Swinney kept finding ways to get under his skin. The former Florida and Ohio State head coach recounted the story of the recruiting and the unusual ways the Clemson coach would mess with him on the recruiting trail. It started with C.J. Spiller. 

When Urban Meyer was at Florida, C.J. Spiller looked like a dream in-state recruit. The 5-star RB was from Lake Butler, Florida, less than an hour from Gainesville, and the Gators had every reason to feel good about their chances. Then signing day arrived.

“On signing date, he puts on the Clemson hat,” Urban Meyer said on The Triple Option. “I lose my mind. I lost it.”

C.J. Spiller choosing Clemson was a huge win for Dabo Swinney. He was a top-25 national prospect in the 2006 class, and pulling him out of Florida’s backyard was no small thing. At the time, Urban Meyer admitted he did not know much about the Tigers. That changed when he took a year away from coaching and attended a game at Death Valley. His impression was immediate.

“I walk in that stadium and I’m like, you can say SEC all you want,” he said. “This is as good an environment as I have ever seen.”

Fast forward to his Ohio State days, Urban Meyer was recruiting another player when the recruit showed him a picture. 

“He said, ‘Hey, coach Swinney wanted me to show you this,’” he said. “And it’s a quote from me on the wall in his facility that says how great Clemson is, and I’m like, ‘that son of a … So I’m actually recruiting for Clemson now.’”

Dabo Swinney, who was present on the show, laughed, saying, “We have a quote wall. I got Kirby. I got to say, we got them all. Anytime we get some great quote, just put it on the wall.”

That was the trick. Dabo Swinney heard something useful from a rival coach, printed it out, and put it where recruits could see it. Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, and Kirby Smart were among the big names whose words made the wall. And while it may sound like a joke, small things can stick during recruiting. 

Urban Meyer and Dabo Swinney have plenty of history. Their programs regularly chased the same elite prospects, and the rivalry eventually moved onto the playoff stage. Clemson beat Ohio State in the 2014 Orange Bowl and later faced the Buckeyes again on the playoff stage in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl. There were also recruiting wins that hurt a little more.

In 2017, Clemson landed Jackson Carman, an elite OT from Ohio State’s recruiting territory. The recruit later said Dabo Swinney had told him Urban Meyer was on the back end of his career, which became an underlying factor in his decision, even if it was not the main reason.

That was Dabo Swinney’s style. He could make a recruiting pitch without making it feel like one. And sometimes, he apparently did not even need to talk. He could simply show the recruit what Urban Meyer had already said about Clemson.