Tiger Tracker: Clemson Misses On Jeremiah Alexander, Turns Focus to Remaining Targets

It's never easy pulling elite talent out of the state of Alabama. Especially, highly-touted defensive players.

With the commitment of Jeremiah Alexander to Alabama on Thursday, the Tigers were reminded just how hard it really is. The SI All-American candidate is considered one of the best pure pass rushers in the 2022 class and is arguably the top player in the state of Alabama.

Alexander visited Clemson on June 1 and by all accounts, it was a memorable trip for the talented player. He even went as far as calling Clemson the favorite in his recruitment immediately after, but there's a big difference between calling one team a favorite and actually pulling the trigger on a commitment.

It was always a long shot, but Dabo Swinney and the Tigers still had to go for it. While they might have missed on him in the end, the fact they established themselves as serious contenders in such a short amount of time is just one more example of exactly how well this coaching staff can recruit.

Clemson plans to sign at least two defensive ends in this class and has already secured a commitment from SI All-American candidate Jihaad Campbell. Now they must turn their attention towards the remaining targets on their board.

DJ Wesolak, out of Missouri, was on hand for the Elite Retreat last month and at one time the Tigers were considered the leaders to land him. However, after his trip to Southern Cal, Wesolak has started trending towards the Trojans.

Arguably one of the ten-best edge rushers in the class, Wesolak is nowhere close to making a decision. He isn't expected to announce a commitment until the All-American Bowl. That gives the Clemson coaching staff plenty of time to make up any lost ground.

Cyrus Moss is another uncommitted defensive end that holds an offer from Clemson. The SI All-American candidate from Las Vegas is considered a strong lean to Oregon currently.

However, like Wesolak, Moss is nowhere close to a decision and has plans to take an official visit to Clemson in the fall. If he follows through on that visit, the Tigers could become serious contenders for one of the best pass rushers in the country.

One more name to watch is Kenyatta Jackson, out of Hollywood, Florida. The Top-100 talent already holds a Clemson offer but things have cooled between the two in recent months.

After missing on Alexander, Clemson could choose to ramp things back up with Jackson. He is likely going to use one of his two remaining official visits at Clemson in the fall and if that visit comes to fruition, all bets are off, making him one of the more intriguing names to follow over the next couple of months.