Big game today in Death Valley between #5 Clemson and #14 Syracuse. Two ACC rivals meet on the field to settle who is the top dog in the Atlantic division. On the sidelines, Coach Dabo Swinney and Clemson are playing host to a big number of high school prospects.
5-star 2024 Quarterback DJ Lagway is one of the most sought after quarterbacks in this class. He last visited Clemson back in April and the Tigers are recruiting him hard. He has 33 offers to date, including all the big boys. Lagway, 6-2 225, is maybe the top dual threat QB in the country in his class, completing 69% of his passes for 1,874 yards, 22 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He has also rushed for 441 yards on 35 carries (12.6ypc) and seven more touchdowns. It’s gonna be tough to get him out of the state of Texas. Right? (Cade Klubnik ring a bell?)
Another quarterback coming into town is freshman phenom (2026) Julian “JuJu” Lewis, 6-1 175. He has taken college football by storm, impressing coaches at camps all across the US this past spring. He hasn’t disappointed, leading Carrollton High School in Georgia to a 9-0 record so far in 2022. He is completing 69% of his passes, throwing for 2,181 yards, 30 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He isn’t much of a dual threat….yet. This young man has three more years of high school football to go and already has 20 offers…..in his freshman year.
There are several top priority targets coming to town, most specifically big 4-star defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, 6-3 310, out of North Gwinnett High School, Ga. This big man is truly multi-talented and while he is dominant on the defensive line (40 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, and 7 quarterback hurries), he is a surprise force on offense, running 35 times for 176 yards and six touchdowns. Sources report that he is a heavy Clemson lean and could leave Death Valley as a Tiger commit.
4-star DL Tomarrion Parker is another Tiger lean that will be at the game. Parker, 6-4 250, recently visited the Tigers early last month and was last seen at the Tennessee/Alabama defense-fest last week. All the big boys have offered and it’s going to be a battle down to the wire for this highly ranked defensive lineman.
3-star Khalil Barnes, 6-1 185, recently decommitted from Wake Forest, and since then, has visited Oklahoma, and Notre Dame, and will be on hand today in the Valley. The Bogart, Ga, native is also a two-way player, playing cornerback on defense and wide receiver on offense. Barnes is a priority for Clemson.
CB Misun “Tink” Kelley recently decommitted from Virginia Tech, and the Tigers offered almost immediately. Playing for nearby Daniel High School, a team the Tigers are intimately familiar with, “Tink”, 5-10 170, is considered a heavy Tiger lean at this point. Ranked as the 12th best player in SC this year, Kelley has not experienced a loss in the last three years. Playing WR, he has 27 receptions for 389 yards with 3 touchdowns, rushing for another 114 yards and two more touchdowns. Defensively, at CB, Kelley has 13 tackles, 2 interceptions, and a fumble recovery for the undefeated Lions.
2024 3-star offensive lineman Blake Frazier is another BIG target for the targets. Frazier, 6-5 260, out of Austin, Texas, is a teammate of current Clemson commit Ian Reed. Frazier has come on strong of late, and has accumulated eight offers to date, but expect this number to rise quickly. He doesn’t have a Clemson offer yet. Yet being the optimum word.
4-star OL Daniel Calhoun is another highly rated lineman the Tigers would love to get into the fold. Calhoun, 6-5 330, is a massive lineman, ranked #4 in the country in the 2024 class at his position. He has racked up 33 offers to date.
3-star offensive lineman, Blake Franks, plays for nearby Greenville High School and is currently ranked as the 9th best player in the state of SC. Franks, 6-5 310, currently holds 13 offers, including Alabama, Florida and Florida state.
Below is a list of other prospects expected to be in the Valley today.
2023 RB Peyton Streko
Georgia, 3-star 2023 WR Tyler Brown
South Carolina, 3-star 2023 ATH Sawyer Deerman
Alabama, 3-star 2024 RB David Eziomume
Georgia, 4-star 2024 LB Andrew Hines III
Georgia, 4-star 2024 DL Malik Blocton
Alabama 3-star David Eziomume
