Clemson Trending for Two Key Targets on Opposite Sides of the Ball

The Clemson Tigers have surged on the recruiting trail recently, picking up commitments left and right.

The first to come was four-star safety Jarrell Chandler last Monday, which ultimately started a domino effect, as just two days later, four-star running back Gary Walker made his decision to commit to the Tigers, which was followed suit by four-star wideout Jamarin ‘Waffle House’ Simmons.

The momentum didn't stop there, though. On Monday, Clemson added four-star offensive tackle Carter Jones — the Tigers' No. 1 OL target and the program's first commitment at the position. Then, just yesterday, three-star tight end Carter Blackwell followed, becoming the first tight end to join the class as well.

Now, with the program’s big recruiting weekend on the horizon, there’s a duo of Clemson targets that are trending toward Tigertown. Here’s a breakdown of the two:

ATH Luke Starcevic (Kindred, ND)

Standing at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, Starcevic is one of the best players from the state of North Dakota. He’s rated a four-star prospect and ranks as the No. 156 overall player, the No. 7 athlete and the No. 2 player in his respective state, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Starcevic went relatively unnoticed by the Tigers for much of his recruiting process. Prior to the program swooping in, the blue-chip prospect boasted over 20 offers and had recently unofficially visited Notre Dame, followed by an official visit to Kansas State, which had been recruiting him since late 2024 as a defensive end. The Wildcats appeared to be the front-runner, but that’s now changed.

Clemson and offensive line coach Matt Luke swept the rug from beneath Kansas State by hosting Starcevic for an unofficial visit at the beginning of May, consequently leading to an offer. The visit was supposed to serve as an official, but now he’ll be heading back to Tigertown this weekend for an actual official visit, where both of his parents will join him.

What's also helped in Clemson's recruitment of Starcevic has been their plan of how to use him. Earlier this month, offensive coordinator Chad Morris detailed a project-like plan that aims at using the athlete as a tight end until he fills out more of his frame to successfully convert into an offensive tackle. That idea appealed to Starcevic, according to Tiger Illustrated's Paul Strelow.

As it stands, the Tigers are the clear leaders in his recruitment, with On3’s Steve Wiltfong and Greg Smith submitting their expert predictions in favor of Clemson yesterday afternoon.

2025 Varsity Season Highlights
(Junior)
1st Team All State
Stats (10 GP)
Rushing: 3 Att, 3 Yds, 3 TDs
Receiving: 29 Rec, 544 Yds, 5 TDs
Blocking: 62 pancakes
Defense: 48 tackles, 15.5 TFLs, 6.5 Sacks https://t.co/7PDhwfOyz0
— Luke Starcevic (@lukestarcevic8) November 29, 2025

EDGE JiQuan Rogers (Ramsay, AL)

Standing at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, Rogers has been picking up lots of steam in his recruitment coming off a strong junior campaign that saw him finish with 36 tackles, 11 for a loss, seven sacks and a fumble recovery score.

He earned his first Division I offer from North Alabama back in late January, followed by offers from multiple other Group of Six schools.

Differing from Starcevic, though, Clemson was actually early to the punch on Rogers, as the program was his first Power Four offer, which came back in mid-April. Since then, nearly 10 more P4 offers have come in.

Rogers has his official visit schedule set: Clemson (May 29-31), Colorado (June 5-7), Georgia Tech (June 12-14), Arkansas (June 19-21), and Florida (June 26-28).

However, the Tigers appear to have all the momentum heading into the month-long road trip, as three expert predictions have been recently logged in favor of Clemson. On3’s Chad Simmons made the first on Monday, and Wiltfong followed suit yesterday. Clemson247’s Cory Fravel also joined in on the party, logging the same prediction around a similar time to Wiltfong.

Rogers is rated a three-star prospect and ranks as the No. 1,019 overall player, the No. 81 edge rusher and the No. 40 recruit in the state of Alabama, according to the 247Sports Composite.

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