Tiger Tracker: All Clemson Recruiting Mailbag
You've got recruiting questions and we have the answers.
Welcome to All Clemson's recruiting mailbag, where we will answer your recruiting questions each week. Or we will at least attempt to do so, as recruiting is a world with many moving parts and an ever-changing landscape where circumstances can often change in a flash.
With that in mind, let's dive in.
Mailbag
Dbal68: What do you think Dabo means by a "committable" offer? Doesn't Clemson hamstring the position recruiter if it doesn't sometimes go to two or more viable prospects and tell them that there is a scholarship for one - first come first served? Down the board it can't be that much difference in talent, can it?
There's a lot to unpack in that one, and there isn't a simple answer. First, let's tackle the committable offer part. If Clemson offers a recruit, it's a committable offer, meaning the staff would take a commitment from that player once he's been offered.
Not all programs recruit the way Clemson does, though. The Tigers generally cast a fairly small net, choosing to primarily focus on those guys. I will also add, that just because a player doesn't have an offer, doesn't mean he isn't being recruited.
Other programs choose to hand out numerous offers, and not all are committable. For example, let's say a school has ten offers out to linebackers in the 2023 class, but only has two open spots. Now let's say the linebacker ranked 10th on that team's board is ready to commit, but the linebackers ranked at the top of the board aren't ready to render decisions. A coaching staff might not be willing to take the commitment from the linebacker that is 10th on the board, even if he's ready to pull the trigger until they get decisions from players higher on the board. Hence, an uncommittable offer.
As for the Clemson coaching staff needing to sometimes offer three or four players at a position when there are only two open spots and telling the recruits first come, first serve, they already do that. In fact, that's exactly how it played out with the 2023 linebackers.
Clemson had two open spots, with the staff recruiting Tony Rojas, Jamal Anderson and Dee Crayton. Once Crayton and Anderson announced commitments, that was it. There was no more room for Rojas. In actuality, it was indeed a first come, first serve basis.
SRabb: Do you feel like most of these 2023 guys will stay committed? It’s a long time from now to December.
Yes, we are still several months away from the beginning of the early signing period. While there certainly are no guarantees when it comes to decommitments, I am of the opinion that every player currently committed is rock solid. Having said that, things change, and sometimes rather quickly.
Coaches change jobs, or in some instances get fired. We all saw what happened when Brent Venables departed for Oklahoma. All that to say, nothing is set in stone, but I do wholeheartedly believe all 17 current commits are as solid as they come.
For example, I'll address the one I have already been asked about numerous times. I don't see any scenario in which Peter Woods changes his mind and suddenly decides he wants to go to Alabama after all. I just don't think that is in his nature. It's not in his character.
Mark: Are any of the offensive line commits considered a true center?
Harris Sewell is one the top interior guys in the class and does have experience playing center. Not sure I would classify him as a true center, though, as I see him more of a fit at guard.
TJ: Any updates on Damari Brown and Christopher Johnson?
Nothing really new on 2023 RB Chris Johnson, Clemson's lone target at the position at the moment. At one time, it appeared that a commitment to Miami was imminent, but Johnson held off. At least for now. The longer the Tigers can stretch this thing out, the better. Getting him on campus for an official visit in the fall is a must if Clemson is to have any realistic shot.
2023 CB Damari Brown has taken official visits to Clemson and Alabama. Miami is also in play. The Tigers already have two corners committed in this class, and it would not surprise me if those end up being the only two that are signed. That doesn't mean the Tigers are out of it for Brown, but this is a recruitment that looks like it might run well into the fall and maybe even beyond. If that's the case, Clemson might begin looking elsewhere for a third corner in the class.
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.
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