5 Signees That Will Immediately Help the Clemson Tigers

The question that everyone starts to ask once national signing day is completed is: who will earn playing time? The advent of new redshirt rules two years ago have made that question mute, as most every signee will earn playing time in at least four games.

The bigger question, in a day and age when players want to play immediately, has become: who will contribute? Today, we give you the five players that we expect to help the Tigers in 2020.

1: Bryan Bresee: Bryan Bresee, a 290-pound defensive end from Damascus, Maryland, is another potential impact player, considering the loss on the defensive line the past few years. Noted for his quick hands and extreme playmaking ability, especially off his first step, Bresee can hunt down ball carriers with his 4.8 speed or make any offensive line think about double- or triple-teaming him on every play.

Signed as the top-ranked overall player in the nation by Rivals.com and 247Sports and ranked by most as the top defensive player in the nation and among the top five players overall. Bresee was also named a first-team USA Today All-American as a junior in 2018 when he was also named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Maryland … participated in the Opening in Frisco, Texas in the summer of 2019.

Listed as the No. 1 overall player in the nation by 247Sports, which also called him the top defensive tackle in the nation and the top player in the state of Maryland … ranked as the top overall player in the nation by Rivals.com, the top defensive tackle and the top player in Maryland … ranked as the No. 2 player in the nation by PrepStar, the top defensive tackle in the nation and the top player in Maryland … rated as the No. 4 overall player in the nation by ESPN.com, which listed him as the No. 1 defensive tackle in the nation and top player in Maryland … named first-team postseason All-American by Sports Illustrated.

SI All-American Analysis:

If making things look easy is a criteria in the evaluation game, then Bryan Breese may be the top prospect in the nation.

Over the last several seasons the 6-5, 290-pounder has made dozens of offensive linemen look silly on the field.

A better tell for his college future, and very likely beyond, is just how many ways he can get by a blocker.

A strong bull rush with his great size and raw power make the quickest path to the backfield, Bresee plays on a consistently-low plane and generates a lot of force in short spaces.

His most valuable asset, especially at his size, is just how quickly he puts pressure on his opponent. From gambling on snap counts to an innate ability to burst off of the line, Bresee closes the distance between he and his opponent better than any interior prospect in the country.

Once at the point, he has a flurry of moves to counter the pure power with and it leads to big hits and/or turnovers. Big, quick, strong and able to transition like a skill player, it will be hard to keep Breese off the field at Clemson early in his career.

2: Demonte Capehart: Rated as a five-star defensive tackle according to most organizations, Capehart made great improvement during his senior year, jumping 29 spots in final Rivals.com ranking at end of the year. He played three years at Hartsville High School in South Carolina before going to IMG Academy for the 2019 season … participated in the 2019 Opening in Frisco, Texas, in the summer of 2019.

Capehart was ranked as the No. 27 overall player in the nation by ESPN.com, which also listed him as the second-best defensive tackle and second-best player from the state of South Carolina … listed as No. 34 overall player in the nation by 247Sports, the second-best defensive tackle and the fourth-best player in Florida … ranked as No. 35 overall player in the nation by Rivals.com, the third-best defensive tackle and the fifth-best player from Florida … ranked as No. 52 player in the nation overall, the second-best defensive tackle and second-best player of South Carolina origin by PrepStar … listed as the second-best player from South Carolina by the Charlotte Observer … named first-team postseason All-American by Sports Illustrated.

SI All-American Analysis:

After dominating local competition for several years in South Carolina, Demonte Capehart made the move to IMG Academy to face a national schedule in 2019.

He often served as the best player on the field in the process. The future Clemson Tiger is 6-4, 290 pounds, but plays like he’s 50 pounds lighter with his quickness off of the football.

He’s among the most advanced men in the trenches with his technique. He can win with speed, swims, spins, a classic push-pull, a powerful club and more.

A balanced rusher with great lower-body strength, Capehart is a threat to push the pocket on every snap. He also showcases elite disengaging ability at the point of attack, critical for any defensive lineman’s consistency.

Some at IMG Academy say that without a doubt, Capehart is the top defensive lineman to come through the prestigious program.

Capehart finished his senior season at IMG with six sacks and 16 tackles for loss.

3: Myles Murphy:Myles Murphy, another defensive end from Powder Spring, Ga, had five sacks during his junior season at Hillgrove High School. His biggest asset is that he brings versatility where by the time he leaves Clemson he could become a run-stuffing tackle in a 3-4 scheme or even switch to linebacker, where some programs wanted Murphy to play.'

One of the top defensive ends in the nation who is listed as one of the top 10 overall players in the nation by ESPN.com, 247Sports and Rivals.com … consensus five-star prospect by every service.

Murphy was listed as the No. 3 overall player in the nation by ESPN.com, which also listed him as the No. 2 defensive end in the nation and No. 1 player in state of Georgia … listed as the No. 5 overall player in the nation, the top defensive end and the top player in Georgia by PrepStar … ranked as the No. 6 overall player in the nation by 247Sports, the second-best defensive end and No. 1 player in Georgia … Rivals.com ranked him as the ninth overall player in the nation, No. 2 defensive end and top player in Georgia … named to the Atlanta Journal Constitution preseason Super 11 team for 2019.

SI All-American Analysis:

Hillgrove's (Ga.) Myles Murphy is listed 6'4 and 260 pounds give or take, and he looks every bit of it on the field. Typically a high school senior of that size would be slated for the defensive tackle position, but typical players of that size don't move the way Murphy does.

Murphy has a terrific change of first step and change of direction. He has a good motor and will chase a play from sideline to sideline and back, sometimes on the same play (see highlights).

Murphy has the size and athleticism to play multiple positions on the next level including any position in a front four or a defensive end in a 3-4. He prefers to use his quickness to beat his opponent, which is an amazing statement in itself for a player knocking on the door of 300 pounds, so he may be better suited to stay on the edge.

Murphy has been committed to the Clemson Tigers since May, and he's the type of players that has helped elevate the Tigers to one of the premier programs in the country

4:Trenton Simpson:Five-star linebacker who committed to Clemson on Dec. 14, 2019 and signed with the Tigers four days later. Simpson was the top player in the state of North Carolina according to many services … won the Arnold R. Solomon Award for the North Carolina High School Football Player of the Year from NCPreps.com in 2019 … participated in The Opening in Frisco, Texas in the summer of 2019.

Ranked as the No. 13 overall player in the nation by 247Sports, which also listed him as the second-best linebacker and top player in North Carolina … Rivals.com rated Simpson as the No. 26 overall player, the second-best linebacker and top player in North Carolina … ESPN.com ranked Simpson No. 107 overall, the 11th-best linebacker and fourth-best player in North Carolina … listed as the top player in North Carolina by the Charlotte Observer … named first-team postseason All-American by Sports Illustrated.

All Clemson Analysis:

6-3, 225 pound linebackers with length and three-down ability are the types that are selected very early each NFL Draft, and Clemson commitment Trenton Simpson fits the profile on and off the field.

He’s got great length and raw athleticism but has an all-around game that makes him look like a veteran at an early stage.

Coming up as a running back, Simpson transitioned to linebacker with such ease in high school because of his vision and striking ability.

It means he’s very suited to play inside linebacker in college but there’s even more intrigue here on the outside.

Good length and a feel for coming off the edge, which led to 20-plus sacks in 2019 as an occasional rusher, makes Simpson an ideal three-down candidate.

He can rush the passer, play the run and cover, ideal traits for the position in this day and age. In terms of overall athleticism and play-making ability, he also put in over 1000 yards running the ball as a senior for Mallard Creek, one of the top prep programs in the country.

5: Walker Parks: Parks was a unanimous top-100 player nationally.

Rivals.com ranked Parks as the No. 59 best player in the nation, eighth-best at his position and the No. 2 player in Kentucky … listed as the 63-best overall player, eighth-best offensive tackle and best player in Kentucky by PrepStar … ranked as the No. 69 overall player by 247Sports, fifth-best at his position and second-best in the state of Kentucky … ranked as No. 89 overall player in the nation by ESPN.com, the 13-best offensive tackle and second-best player in Kentucky.

SI All-American Analysis:

A long and lean Clemson signee, Parks has the length and quickness to play on the edge in the ACC. He'll need to fill out over the next year or two but has the upside to man a tackle spot for the Tigers for years.