Tiger Tracker: All Clemson Recruiting Mailbag
You've got recruiting questions and we have the answers.
Welcome to All Clemson's recruiting mailbag, where each week we will answer your recruiting questions. Or we will at least attempt to do so, as recruiting is a world with a lot of moving parts and an ever-changing landscape.
With that in mind, let's dive in.
Recruiting Mailbag
Ken: Who are the top offensive linemen that Clemson will get this year?
Well, at this point, there is just no sure way to know. Expect the Tigers to sign a minimum of three offensive linemen in this cycle, though. Currently, there are nine offers out to uncommitted prospects.
Of those, the top targets are Monroe Freeling, Sullivan Absher, Zecharia Owens, and Harris Sewell. All are blue-chip prospects and all but Absher are arguably Top-100 players overall. Absher would fall somewhere in the Top-250 range. Sewell is set to take an official visit to Clemson on the weekend of June 3.
In-state OL Markee Anderson is another name to know. He is another blue-chip prospect, a Top-150 talent and one of the top interior linemen in the country. New offensive line coach Thomas Austin has made landing Anderson a priority, and the Tigers were able to get him on campus for a spring practice. The Gamecocks are also making a strong push, and he has been a frequent visitor to Columbia over the past year or so.
Robbie: Does Clemson have a legitimate shot of landing Peter Woods out of Alabama?
Yes, I fully believe Clemson has a legitimate shot at landing Woods. One of the top players in the country, Woods has visited Clemson several times over the past year. He was on campus for multiple games last season and was last in town for Elite Junior Day earlier this year. A player does not visit that many times unless he has a genuine interest, and it's the culture that has really resonated with Woods.
"The difference between Clemson and a lot of the other places I’ve been to is just the family atmosphere they have created," Woolds told All Clemson after his last visit. "Everyone is like family, blood or not, and the culture coach Swinney has set, EVERYONE in the program has bought in."
Now, having said all that, Clemson fans know all too well how hard it is to pull elite-level defensive talent out of the state of Alabama. Nick Saban is pretty much been able to cherry-pick the players he wants out of that state, so the Tigers do very much have a battle on their hands. However, the Clemson coaching staff has done everything they possibly could have up to this point and has positioned themselves very well. In other words, they have given Woods a lot to think about, but this is also a recruitment that is far from over.
Mike: Is there any recruiting in the transfer portal for offensive linemen?
Dabo Swinney made it clear after the spring game that the Tigers were very much still open to the idea of adding an offensive lineman through the portal. Players have until May 1 to enter the portal in order to be eligible to play with their new team this season.
Originally, the staff wanted to add a center, but after going through the spring and seeing how well Will Putnam made the transition over from guard, and how well Ryan Linthicum has progressed, I'm not sure they see it as much of a dire need as they did going into the spring.
I still think they'd prefer adding an interior guy, as there is no need to add a tackle at this point in time. They won't add someone just add someone, though. It would have to be a veteran, likely a graduate transfer, who is capable of coming in and contributing right away. That player would also have to be the right fit from a culture standpoint, and check every box any normal recruit would.
Do you have any recruiting questions that you want to ask? If so, just let us know. Shoot us an email at jp@clemsonmaven.io or shoot us a DM.
The Tigers, who went 10-3 in 2021 and finished 14th in the final Associated Press Poll, are the fourth team on FanDuel Sportsbook's list to win it all in 2022.
Want to join in on the discussion? 100% FREE! Interact with fellow Tiger fans and hear directly from publisher Zach Lentz, deputy editor Brad Senkiw, recruiting analyst Jason Priester and staff writer Will Vandervort on any subject. Click here to become a member of the ALL CLEMSON message board community today!