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 weekly recruiting questions. 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
Eddie: Is the momentum gone? Anything ahead?
That depends on one's perspective, but at some point, things have to slow down. With the Tigers having picked a dozen commitments in the month of June, spots are starting to fill up quickly. Those 12 commitments are a record for any single month in the Dabo Swinney era, so it was a pace that was going to be impossible to keep up with.
That momentum did carry over into July, culminating with the commitment of DL Peter Woods, one of the biggest pieces of the class. Clemson currently sits at 17 verbal pledges in the 2023 class, leaving somewhere around half a dozen spots left to be filled.
As for the second part of that question, stay tuned. There will be more additions in the month of August, one or two coming pretty quickly.
Cateringjack27: Any info on reports that some prospects came back to Clemson to record commitment videos? Any word on the positions of those recruits?
As most know, the All-In Cookout was held on Monday. This year's event was a little different compared to some of the others in the past, though. It was mostly reserved for recruits that have already committed. 16 of the 17 current commits made it into town, with TE Markus Dixon being the only commit unable to attend. It was one more chance for the staff to strengthen the relationships with the players already on board, as well as the recruits in the class to continue bonding with each other.
"This class is super close off the field and chemistry is already on 100," Peter Woods told All Clemson after the cookout.
Having said that, there were two uncommitted prospects also on hand. One was 2023 S Rob Billings, who has long been a priority target. Florida State has probably been the biggest competition, but I firmly believe Clemson has been and still is, the leader in the clubhouse. Expect an announcement soon. In fact, very soon.
2023 CB Shelton Lewis also attended and left with an offer. It was the offer he had been waiting on too. Lewis committed to Pitt back in early June but decommitted about three weeks later after taking officials to Arkansas and North Carolina.
It appeared he was on a fast track towards committing to the Tarheels, but then Clemson threw in a few weeks ago. Again, it was an offer Lewis wanted, it finally came this week and it's one that has completely changed his recruitment. There have been reports that an announcement would come the first week in August but that has not been confirmed. However, barring something unforeseen, one is coming in the very near future.
As for the rumors about any players coming to campus to get footage for commitment videos, I will let you read those tea leaves.
Scott: What's left for 2023? Any running backs?
As I touched on earlier, spots are starting to fill up, but there are still a couple of needs that still need filling. And yes, one of those positions is at running back. Clemson only has room for one in this class and having three sophomores the caliber of Will Shipley, Phil Mafah and Kobe Pace has made landing a top-rated 2023 back a little more difficult than it might otherwise be.
But having those three guys, all with multiple years left has also allowed the staff to be picky about the players they choose to target. Three big swings were taken, with Clemson offering Richard Young and Justice Haynes very early on, but they missed on both. They also missed on Cedric Baxter. All three are considered Top-5 backs in the class.
The staff then centered in on Jeremiah Cobb, out of Montgomery, Alabama. Cobb chose to stay home and committed to Auburn. The top target now is Chris Johnson, out of Ft. Lauderdale. He's long been considered a fairly strong Miami lean, so the Tigers have their work cut out for them when it comes to landing him. It's a recruitment that looks like it will run into late fall, so we will see if Clemson can get him in for an official during the season.
As for what else is left in the class, let's go by position.
- QB- 0
- RB: 1
- WR: 1
- TE: 0
- OL: 0-1 (a tackle)
- DE: 1
- DT: 0-1
- LB: 0
- S: 1
- CB: 1
David: How about the latest on 2023 WR Ronan Hanafin?
Not much new to report on Ronan Hanafin. He was not on hand for the cookout, but I don't think that has any bearing on where Clemson stands. Notre Dame has been the Tigers' biggest competition, and a preseason decision is expected.
At one time, I had Hanafin pegged for South Bend, but the Irish now have three 2023 WRs committed, with the latest verbal pledge coming from Jaden Greathouse earlier this month. That can not hurt the Tigers' chances.
There is a reason why Clemson has chosen to let this one play out, rather than having already expanded the board. That is because this is a recruitment the staff thinks it can win. And I'm starting to believe that is in fact exactly how it plays out.
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 on Twitter.
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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