Dabo Swinney reportedly told 5-star OL that Urban Meyer was on the 'back end of his career'

Five-star prospect and Ohio native Jackson Carman surprised some on Wednesday, signing with Clemson over Ohio State. Though the Tigers were the favorite, there was some hope the talented offensive lineman would remain in his home state.

Clemson was one of the predicted landing spots for Carman early in his recruitment, and for good reason. The Tigers are coming off a national championship run, have consistently made the College Football Playoff and have one of the top coaches in the sport. But, just in case all that wasn’t enough, head coach Dabo Swinney took a jab at Urban Meyer.

According to Ari Wasserman of The Athletic, Swinney told Carman during his recruitment that Meyer was on “the back end of his career.”

Dabo Swinney told Jackson Carman during his recruitment that Urban Meyer is on the back end of his career in terms of years left. “It wasn’t a major factor, but it was an underlying one,” Carman said.

— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) December 20, 2017

Carman went on to say that it wasn’t a major factor in his decision, but it did play a small role.

Negative recruiting at its finest.

Meyer did address negative recruiting at his signing day press conference on Wednesday, saying it’s “nothing new” to him or Ohio State. Still, it seems a little odd that Swinney would have to stoop that low to pluck a recruit. His credentials and Clemson’s success, you’d think, would be enough.

Maybe Swinney’s words played a huge role in Carman’s decision, maybe they didn’t. Either way, it’s somewhat surprising that the Clemson head coach went to that level.