It’s National Signing Day!!! Ok, today used to be THE day college football fans used to wake up early and find their site of choice to see the LOI’s start hitting the fax machine. The NCAA has decided that an early signing date in December was needed for various reasons.
According to ESPN, the majority of the ESPN top 300 committed and signed in December. The luster of the “first Wednesday in February” is gone for the most part. Clemson’s class was pretty much complete in December. The Tigers added three players to the fold after the 1st signing day. The biggest was 5-star offensive tackle Tristan Leigh.
Currently, the Tigers have the 4th ranked recruiting class in 2021, behind the usual Alabama, Ohio State and Georgia. Dabo Swinney and his staff are bringing in a class filled with talent. The one thing that separates Clemson from most other schools is the process in which Clemson invokes in recruiting. Dabo does not throw out a huge casting net to see who can get caught up in it. The Tigers handed out 72 offers. Let that resonate. Then consider the three teams ahead of them in the rankings. Alabama threw out 218 offers, Georgia 248, and Ohio State 167. I won’t really go any further except to mention Tennessee had 478 offers and South Carolina had 273. The point I’m making is that a Clemson offer just means that much more.
Clemson is bringing in three 5-star talents, led by Leigh, running back Will Shipley and LB Barrett Carter. Take a look at the recruiting class going forward.
Quarterback:
Clemson is used to bringing in big time talents at quarterback. They only offered three quarterbacks in the 2021 class; Drake Maye (UNC), Christian Veilleux (PSU) and Bubba Chandler. Chandler was originally a Georgia Bulldog commitment for baseball, but when Dabo came calling, he flipped to Clemson and will play both sports. The Tigers also are bringing in two PWO’s at quarterback, Will Taylor (also a two sport player) and Billy Wiles (previously committed to Tulane).
Running back:
The Tigers lose one of the most explosive running backs in college football to the NFL this year in Travis Etienne. Enter NC running back Will Shipley. The 5-star Shipley will challenge for playing time the day he steps on the field. When Etienne came in, pass catching was not in his repertoire, although he developed those skills the last two years. Shipley comes in with pass receiving skills in tow. Compare his stats to Etienne for the last two years of high school.
Needless to say, Shipley comes into Tigertown with all the tools to pick up the baton and run with it. Fellow 2021 signee Phil Mafah is a solid 4-star running back in his own right and brings in the same toughness that will remind Tiger fans of another former Grayson High School, RB Wayne Gallman. The running back room just got deeper at Clemson.
Wide Receiver:
The Tigers have taken on the mantra of Wide Receiver U, and it gets deeper with this 2021 class. Clemson loses Amari Rodgers and Cornell Powell to the NFL, and injuries took its toll with Justyn Ross, Joseph Ngata and Frank Ladson. Getting those three back healthy is a key to the season as new starting QB DJ Uiagalelei takes over. The 2021 WR class will bring an instant infusion into the pass catching room.
4-star talents in Beaux Collins, Dacari Collins and Troy Stellato bring instant depth to an already busy wide receiver room. Beaux was a teammate of DJ at St. John Bosco and excelled to the tune of 41 receptions for 1008 yards and 14 touchdowns. The 6-4 200 Collins will waste no time hooking back up with his former quarterback. Dacari Collins, also 6-4 200, hauled in 51 passes for 868 yards and 8 touchdowns. These are two big targets for the Tigers and will come in with a chip on their shoulder. Instant depth. The 3rd member of the WR corps is Florida talent 4-star Troy Stellato. In his last two years of high school ball, Stellato had 86 receptions for 1433 yards and 14 touchdowns. The shifty Stellato runs a 4.42 40 and can turn on the jets quickly.
Tight End:
Clemson loses only J.C. Chalk at the tight end position, returning the rest of the TE room. The Tigers reloaded that room with Jake Briningstool, a strapping 6-6 220 TE out of Brentwood, Tennessee. Briningstool hauled in 49 passes last year for 863 and 9 touchdowns for Ravenwood High School. He comes in with pass catching skills and has the frame to add on needed weight. He could easily add 20-30 pounds and become that total TE package the Tigers need.
Offensive line:
For the longest time, the Tigers had a hard time recruiting “play ready” offensive linemen. That no longer seems the case.
The Tigers bring in four BIG offensive linemen in the 2021 class, led by the 5-star Leigh. Look at the list of linemen committing in 4-star 6-5 326. class: Tristan Leigh 5-star 6-6 290, Ryan Linthicum 4-star 6-4 275 , Dietrick Pennington 4-star 6-5 326, Marcus Tate
“Monsters of the Valley:. This group will challenge the day they step on the field at Death Valley. The offensive line position at Clemson continues to improve. The 2022 class already has two commitments from 4-star linemen. This position is deep and worth watching in the spring game where the Tigers have at least 16 lineman battling for reps.
The Clemson defense returns intact, minus the recent transfer of Mike Jones, Jr. A lot of Clemson fans feel that the emergence of Trenton Simpson, and the return of James Skalski and Robbie Spector had a lot to do with the transfer. I mean, who really knows what goes on in the heads of these young players. Then again, other fans believe that the LB recruits in the 2021 class also played a part in the Jones’ decision.
Linebacker:
5-star LB Barrett Carter and 4-star LB Jeremiah Trotter, Jr., bring instant depth to the linebacking corp. Depending on which website you look at, both of these guys are “up there”. Carter, 6-1 220, could develop into an “Isaiah Simmons” type defender. He is that talented. Trotter is more of a middle linebacker type and one of the best in the country. The linebacker position at Clemson will be in really good hands for the next few years.
Defensive tackle:
The Tigers lost Nyles Pinckney and Jordan Williams to the transfer portal this year, but the cupboard is not exactly bare at defensive tackle. 2020 freshmen Tre Williams and Demonte Capehart are ready to provide 2nd unit reps behind starters Tyler Davis and Bryan Bresee. Big Payton Paige will throw his hat in the ring once he gets to campus. Highly ranked out of high school, the 6-3 350ish DT will remind people size-wise of Dexter Lawrence. Page was one of only two Clemson offers at defensive tackle, the other headed to Tennessee.
Defensive End:
In the 2020 class, Clemson struck gold with 5-stars’ Myles Murphy and Bryan Bresee. These two combined for 84 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, 8 sacks and 19 quarterback pressures in 12 games. That’s all. What can the Tigers do for an encore in the 2021 class? Bookend defensive ends Cade Denhoff and Zaire Patterson bring size and athleticism to a position that also brings back everyone in the 3 deep depth chart. 4-stars’ Denhoff, 6-5 235 out of Florida and Patterson, 6=6 230, will be in for a battle for playing time early. The Tigers return no less than 7 defensive ends with game experience. Don’t expect immediate impact by Denhoff or Patterson, but the future is bring for these two.
Secondary:
The secondary returns everyone from the three-deep depth chart. Everyone. Clemson adds two more to that group in CB Nathaniel Wiggins and Safety Andrew Mukuba. Wiggins was a last minute flip from LSU. The 6-2 175 corner brings size and length to the position and could
eventually grow into the safety position. He also played WR in high school. Clemson reached into Texas for the 2nd straight year and pulled out a talented safety in Andrew Mukuba. Another player that played both ways in high school, Mukuba will bring instant toughness to the field and don’t be surprised to see him develop into a “Terry Kindard” type safety; tough and all over the place.
The most recent commitment to the 2021 class came from long snapper Holden Caspersen, one of the best at his position in the 2021 class.
Overall, the Tigers had another great recruiting class. Many holes were filled and with the new NCAA rule that gave everyone the opportunity to play another year, the Tigers already had a full team coming back. The 2021 class brings in talent all over the field. The April 3rd Clemson Spring game is going to fun to watch.
