Clemson's brand of football is pretty exciting. Unfortunately, after the excitement brought by Mike Vick, our brand hasn't been that sexy. Effective? Yes. But not exciting. By the mid-2000s, we sort of became labeled as a grinder...great D, occasionally exciting special teams, and a serviceable offense.

When Dabo got the HC gig and brought Chad Morris onboard, the Tigers became an exciting brand and I imagine that's attractive to players.

So again, warmer weather (winters in Blacksburg include a lot of wet snow), greater proximity to FL and ATL (where many of those players are from), hotter coeds, slightly higher academic rankings, and sexy/exciting brand of football.

There isn't a single one of those factors that accounts for the differences in recruiting between VT and CU, but if you add them all up, I can imagine the cumulative effect is 15-20 recruiting spots.

Then add in a recent national championship!