Currently the Tigers have the number one recruiting class in the nation
With spring comes one of the biggest recruiting events for the Clemson Football program, the All In Cookout. With 18 players currently committed, that doesn’t leave much room left in this class. The Tigers could finish up the cycle with anywhere between 21 and 24, with the safe bet being somewhere right in the middle. So who is left on the board, and who will they be recruiting the hardest throughout the summer months.
Oddly enough, #WRU has yet to secure a commitment for the wide receiver position, and the Tigers will look to take two. EJ Williams and Xzavier Henderson are the top two guys left on the board but the staff recently offered Ajou Ajou from Canada. Williams and Henderson are both upper level 4 star recruits, while the 3 star Ajou is a little more raw.
This coaching staff likes to lock up commitments as early as possible and there is no doubt the offer to Ajou was in part to amp up the pressure on the other two guys. That isn’t to say the Tigers wouldn’t welcome Ajou aboard without hesitation, but Henderson and Williams are the top two on the board. Right now the safest bet is that the team gets Williams and Ajou, with Henderson ending up elsewhere. Maybe in Gainesville playing with his brother in Florida.
We know the staff will take at least one linebacker, and with the transfer of Shaq Smith, it is possible they take two, depending on how things shake out. The coaches are still recruiting 5 star LB Justin Flowe. He is the top rated outside linebacker in the country and is planning on visiting for the All In cookout later this summer. Recently, he released a Top 12 that included Clemson, an offer he called a “dream offer.” The Tigers will see if they can get Flowe on campus for an official, and he has expressed interest in taking one. We’ll have to see if that visit comes to fruition, but until then there are a couple more LBs to keep an eye on.
Phillip Webb from Buford, Ga is a 4 star LB the staff has kept in contact with. The third ranked OLB in the country and the 40th ranked player overall, Webb won’t commit until later in the cycle. Alabama and Auburn are fighting for his services but if the Tigers were to turn up the heat in their recruitment of him, it is a battle they could win. A battle they likely would win. Another guy to keep an eye on is 4 star Trenton Simpson out of Charlotte. Simpson was in for the spring game and recently received a spriing evaluation period visit from the Tigers.
Last but not least is the guy everyone asks about the most, 5 star DE Jordan Burch. Out of Hammond High School in Columbia, Burch is now listed as the number one overall player in the country per the 247 Composite. Currently, 67% of the Crystal Ball predictions have Burch Clemson bound, but only 8 have been put in so far. The Tigers have already gotten commitments from four 5 star defensive linemen, so landing Burch would without question make this the greatest haul along the DL in recruiting history.
Burch is a guy who plays things close to the vest and there have been a lot of conflicting information coming out regarding him. He has spent a lot of time on the South Carolina campus, but that is not something people should read much into. He plays for former Gamecock QB Erik Kimrey and one of Will Muschamps sons is a teammate of his at Hammond. There is a long ways to go in this recuitment and where he ends up is still anyone’s guess.
Tomorrow starts the recruiting dead period. It lasts until July 24. Coaches can’t have contact face to face or visit, but they can write players and call by telephone. Once the period ends everyone will be gearing up for the cookout, and as the past has shown us, with the cookout comes fireworks.
