The 2022 Clemson recruiting class picked up two solid secondary commits this weekend and this envigerates a fan base yearning for football. The class currently ranks 13th in the country on just 10 commitments. The Tigers rank 3rd in average player ranking behind only Ohio State and Alabama. This has the makings of another great Clemson class.
With four standout commits in the secondary, one would think that the Tigers might be good to go. Local standout Jeadyn Lukus of Mauldin, SC, will be announcing his school of choice July 28th, his mother’s birthday. Rumors have it that he is a heavy lean towards Clemson and could very well throw in with the Tigers. If you wanna believe in 247, then he will. This would give the Tigers FIVE 4-star secondary studs to immediately contend for playing time in 2022.
At linebacker, the Tigers have offered five prospects. Three have committed elsewhere while they are still in the hunt for the other two; Shawn Murphy out of Manassas, Virginia, and Daniel Martin out of Marietta, Georgia. Martin picked up a Clemson offer last June, but appears to be leaning towards Vanderbilt. Murphy is a 4-star big time linebacker that also received a Clemson offer last June. He recently released a Top 5 that did not include Clemson. The Tigers landed two highly rated linebackers in the 2021 class and the depth chart is off the charts, so to speak. The Tigers could miss on this position without any detriment until the 2023 class.
Travis Shaw of Greensboro, NC, is the big time target for the Tigers. He is the #1 player in the state of NC, and the #4 defensive tackle in the country in the 2022 class. According to several recruiting sites, he is a heavy lean towards Clemson, However, it appears that Mack Brown is starting to make up a little ground with Shaw. He visited the UNC campus twice in June, so the writing isn’t quite on the wall just yet.
Shaw is one of eleven defensive tackles offered by the Tigers, with only two committing elsewhere to date. The #1 DT, Walter Nolen, does not list Clemson in his top 5. Caden Curry, big time DT out of Indiana listed the Tigers in his Top 10 back in April. He looks to be a lean to Ohio State. Having said all this, Shaw appears to be the golden nugget.
The Tigers pulled in DE Jihaad Campbell of IMG in Bradenton, Florida, and is probably not done here. Clemson looks to be in a good position to land either DJ Wesolak out of Missouri or Kenyatta Jackson out of Florida. Jackson looks to be a Clemson/Ohio State battle while Wesolak, according to 247, is a lean to Clemson with USC (the real one) in the fight. Another high target of interest is Enai White out of Pennsylvania. He took particular notice to the recent IMG commitments to Clemson.
Overall, the Tigers are still in the hunt at the linebacker, defensive tackle and defensive end positions, while the secondary might turn out to be one of the best in 2022. It will be very interesting to see what the end of July ALL IN Cookout brings in.
