With the Clemson 2018 class coming to climactic and dramatic end this February with the Signing Day commitments of Justyn Ross and Mario Goodrich adding to an already stellar and best ever recruiting class at Clemson. Now it’s all eyes on to the 2019 Class and it’s very talent rich pool of potential Tigers for the 2019 Class.
You can start right here in State of SC and point at Zacch Pickens of nearby TL Hanna High School in Anderson, SC as a player that is coveted by every power five program in the region . Our top player overall in the state of SC has been recruited hard and is gonna be one to watch here in the upcoming months. Proximity to Clemson may be playing a role in a negative sense, as his ability in the past to visit the Tigers campus was as easy as a 20 minute ride up Highway 76. And he has visited the Tigers on many occasions in the past from Camp, to Spring Games, Jr Days and many home games.
Photo By Gary McDaniel
In the past few months its been South Carolina that is pressing the hardest on the young man from Anderson, and Georgia is also there constantly in his sightline. Both selling him playing time at Defensive End, where as the Tigers see him as a player thats gonna grow into an Interior lineman. Just like they did in the recruitment of Albert Huggins a few years ago. Same M.O a player the staff will have to sell on the role they seeing filling in their system.
Clemson had early momentum, then it was FSU who was the first to offer the States top player, Ironically offering at halftime of Clemson vs FSU game in Death Valley 2 years ago that Pickens attended. Then it was Georgia that was rumored to be out front and now it’s in state South Carolina, who is playing family ties and their depth chart to the young stud. Stay tuned as this one plays out, but if you recall a certain #1 DE in the countries recruitment this past year? A fellow named Xavier, well this one sounds an awful lot like that one did at this point last year. So don’t count the Tigers out. But South Carolina has played their cards well here. So this one is gonna get real good down the stretch as these two staff’s try and make their respective pitches for the Monster from Anderson.
photo By Gary McDaniel
Next man up on the Clemson 2019 “Wish List” is Owen Pappoe, a Grayson High School (Loganville, GA) Line backer who is the #1 Linebacker on man big boards across the horizon. Pappoe is no stranger to Tiger town as he has been coming to camps and games with his Grayson team mates now for going on his third year. Clemson has always made Owen feel as though he was their guy and a priority. And Owen has reciprocated on a a few occasions and hinted that the Tigers were the team to beat. Well that has been the flavor of the week over the past 18 months with Pappoe favoring Clemson, FSU, Tennessee, or Georgia at one time. Word has it in State UGA now holds the cards for the athletic backer.
Owen will play this one out to the very end and we feel it the afore mentioned teams in it with him until he decides in December or next February. Owen has been recruited about as hard as any recruit we have seen in our years in the industry. If you recall Owen was the subject of an USA Today feature when he was offered in the ninth grade. But stay tuned with this one too, as Brent Venables and Mickey Conn have had their eyes on Owen for some time now.
Frank Ladson Jr out of Florida a big bodied Wide Receiver who is blowing up with offers as of late. But the Tigers fresh off a Junior Day visit, seem to have really made an impact on the Sunshine States top wide out prospect in 2019. Jeff Scott has pin pointed Ladson and the staff is letting him know he is WRU’s next target. And are going to recruit him hard to join the fraternity of Clemson WR’s that have developed under Scott’s tutilege and graduated on to the NFL.
WRU and it’s continuing conveyor belt of ready made Wide Receivers has NFL Scout’s now OK’ing almost any former Tiger Wide out on their draft boards. And big selling point for young players like Frank Ladson. Team WRU up with the Success the Tigers have enjoyed over the past decade and you get another top tier prospect showing genuine interest in migrating north one day potentially and playing his part in the legacy of “WRU”.
But this is recruiting and Miami and FSU and Florida along with Alabama and a host of others still have something to say about Ladson and his landing spot in 2019. But as of today its the Tigers of Clemson that have this young man’s eye.
Qavarius Crouch the top player in the state of North Carolina for 2019 has offers from everyone imaginable and has the Tigers in his top group. But that group is heavy with SEC and ACC suitors that are vying hard to take this Athlete who can play either side of the ball on to their rosters for 2019. Crouch who is being recruited as both a Running Back and Defensive End/Linebacker is a player with the rare combination of Size, speed, acceleration, ball skills, and raw athleticism to pull off either. If you ask me… I think his highest upside is on the defensive side of the ball. As he has the lateral movement to chase down ball carriers and wide receivers in the spread offenses that we see now 80% of the time on any given Saturday. A rare blend of all these rare qualities along with exceptional strength has Qavarius at the very top of a lot recruiting boards regardless of position.
A very quiet and to the vest recruitment has gone in with Crouch who has interest in the Local in State school UNC, NCST along with South Carolina, Ohio State, Alabama, and of course Clemson to name a very very few.
Another top running back prospect Clemson has been involved with for quite some time is the #1 rated back in the nation by more than one recruiting service, as the Tigers have been recruiting Virginia native Devyn Ford for going on two and and half years.
Ford who has a offers list of almost anyone in the power including the likes of in state UVA, VT as well as regional power Penn State, Ohio State, ACC and SEC team like UNC, Duke, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Pitt, NCST and many many many more… Ford can be particularly picky in his destination for his college career.
The Tigers have been long and steady in this recruitment and have had their teeth in the skin of Ford for a while. As the staff had picked him and pointed to him as a priority in the class since striking out and losing last years #1 RB to the Dawgs of UGA when Zamir White committed to them last summer.
