Tiger Tracker: With Peter Woods Now On Board, What's Next for Clemson Recruiting

Since the beginning of summer, the Tigers have seen an unprecedented run of success on the recruiting trail.

Clemson has secured commitments from 14 players since the start of June. The most recent coming when 2023 DL Peter Woods announced a verbal pledge to the Tigers on Friday, arguably the biggest addition to the class to date.

However, there is still work to be done, as the Tigers still have more needs to fill. One of the more notable needs yet to be filled is at running back. With three talented sophomores already on the roster, the coaching staff had the luxury of being very selective in this class, and has cast a very small net, offering just five players total at the position.

The most recent came last week, as 2023 RB Chris Johnson announced an offer shortly after Jeremiah Cobb committed to Auburn. Johnson included Clemson in his group of top-six schools before announcing the offer. Miami, Alabama, FSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M also made the cut.

Johnson has long been considered a strong lean to Miami. It will be interesting to see if the Tigers can really insert themselves and stretch this thing out, then get Johnson on campus for an official visit this fall. It will also be interesting to see how long the staff sticks with the "one at time" approach they have taken with running backs this cycle.

Sticking to the offensive side of the ball, Clemson still needs one more wideout in this class and is still waiting on resolution from 2023 WR Ronan Hanafin. While many consider the blue-chip talent a Notre Dame lean, there is a reason the Tigers are waiting on this one to play out. A decision is expected sometime before the end of the summer.

2023 WR target Tyler Williams is also still out there, with Clemson, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Georgia, and South Carolina all making his Top-5 that was released last week. However, the talented wideout has been trending in the opposite direction, and right now the Tigers are anything but one of the favorites.

Despite already having three offensive linemen on board, Clemson would still like to add another tackle in this class. Right now the top target is 2023 OL Stanton Ramil, who just so happens to be a high school teammate of Peter Woods. Although, don't expect Woods' decision to commit to Clemson to have any impact on Ramil.

Auburn, Tennessee and Michigan State are all involved as well, and a decision could come before the end of the month.

For those wondering about Monroe Freeling, there is still a long way to go with his recruitment, but right now, it would appear he is trending away from Clemson. He took officials to Notre Dame, Miami and Florida, as well as an unofficial to Georgia during the month of June. Maybe Clemson can get him on campus for an official during the season, but at this point, that seems unlikely.

Jumping over to the defensive side of the ball, the Tigers are still looking to add another defensive end and 2023 DL Hunter Osborne is currently the top target. Osborne was on hand for the big official visit weekend in June and Texas looks to be Clemson's biggest competition.

A decision is expected before the start of his senior season and will most likely come sometime in August. The Tigers look to be in solid shape, but the Longhorns have at the very least made up a little bit of ground.

Clemson is still looking to add one more safety to the class, as well, with 2023 S Rob Billings being the top target. Billings also attended the big official visit weekend., A decision isn't expected until sometime in the fall, with the Tigers and Florida State being the teams at the top of the list.

2023 S Dakaari Nelson is another target with a Clemson offer, with the Tigers making his group of six finalists. We'll see if the staff can get him on campus for an official visit in the fall.

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!