Jason Priester All Clemson
Clemson Set for Big Recruiting Weekend as Tigers Host Syracuse
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After playing consecutive road games, fifth-ranked Clemson returns home this weekend for a critical matchup with No. 14 Syracuse.
Not only will this game have significant ACC Atlantic implications, but it is also another big recruiting weekend for the Tigers, as multiple priority targets are set to be in attendance.
2023 DE Tomarrion Parker returns for an official visit. Clemson needs one more edge rusher in this class and the 6-foot-4, 252-pound prospect out of Central (Phenix City, Al.) is the lone target.
Parker was at one time committed to Penn State but opened things back up over the summer, with the Tigers immediately offering. He was an unofficial visitor for Clemson's win over Furman.
The Tigers have been considered the favorite, with Tennessee being the biggest competition. Parker took an unofficial visit to Knoxville last weekend for the Volunteers' win over Alabama, and it would be naive to suggest that environment did not make an impression on the talented prospect and his family.
However, as of now, there are no plans to go back to Tennessee for an official before an announcement, which is significant. With no other visits currently scheduled, Clemson could be getting the final at-bat this weekend. There has been talk of Parker getting back to Clemson for an unofficial on November 19 for the Miami game, but that isn't certain at this point. Parker will announce on November 21.
2023 DT Kayden McDonald will take an unofficial this weekend. It will be his first visit to a Clemson game this season.
The 6-foot-2, 325-pound player out of North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) will announce on October 31 with Clemson, Ohio State, Florida, Michigan and Oklahoma being the five finalists.
This is another case of Clemson possibly getting the final visit before a decision, as McDonald currently has no visit scheduled for next weekend. He took an official to Oklahoma last weekend. Ohio State and Michigan have also received official visits, and he's taken an unofficial to Florida for a game this season.
The Tigers have been the perceived favorite for quite some time, but this is a recruitment that is a little hard to get a good read on at this point. However, as we have so often seen, recruiting many times tends to come down to relationships, and the Tigers have set themselves up well here. Proximity to home also gives Clemson another leg up.
This weekend gives the coaching staff an opportunity to lean on those relationships and lock up its fourth blue-chip interior defensive lineman in this class.
2023 DBs Khalil Barnes and Misun Kelley will also be on hand. Barnes has become a hot commodity since decommitting from Wake Forest last month. Notre Dame, North Carolina and Oklahoma have all offered in the past week. Georgia is also in the mix but has yet to offer. Currently, the Tigers should be considered the favorite, but if the Bulldogs do officially enter the mix, all bets are off.
Kelley was originally set to announce last Friday but ultimately decided to push that back. No new date has been announced, but don't take the decision to hold off as the Tigers not still being the favorite to land the in-state prospect out of nearby Daniel.
2024 QB D.J. Lagway will also be in attendance as an unofficial visitor. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound QB out of Willis High (Willis, Tx.) was the first QB to be offered by the Tigers in the 2024 class and is still one of only two players at the position with a Clemson offer.
Lagway has already been to games at LSU, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas A&M. He has been to Florida twice. This will be his first trip back to Clemson since the summer and he also stopped in for a spring practice.
It's very likely Lagway makes a decision before next spring, so this could be a critical visit.
2024 RB David Eziomume has also announced plans to be in attendance. The 6-foot, 190-pound back out of North Cobb (Kennesaw, Ga.) is thought of as one of the best all-purpose backs in the next recruiting cycle and a Top-200 talent overall.
No. 4 Clemson (7-0, 5-0 ACC) opened Sunday as a 13.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, in Saturday's noon game against No. 18 Syracuse (6-0, 3-0).
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