Riverside defensive lineman says he is "All In"

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon Oct 25 09:41:49 GMT-04:00 2010

CLEMSON – Riverside’s Kevin Dodd took part in the festivities of Tiger Walk, and then went upstairs to the WestZone with his mind made up: he was going to be a Clemson Tiger.

The 6-5, 277-pounder out of Greer then marched into head coach Dabo Swinney’s office and told Swinney he was "All In" and wanted to become the 20th commitment in Clemson’s 2011 recruiting class.

The wheels were set in motion earlier this week, on Tuesday, when recruiter Andre Powell called Dodd and told him that Swinney wanted to talk to him as soon as possible. When the two connected, Swinney made the offer. That offer became the commitment before the game.

“I walked in there and told I was ready to be All In,” Dodd told TigerNet on Sunday. “This was kind of like a wake-up call for me, because I had been wanting this since Day One. I had been telling myself that the first chance I get, I am going to take it. I already had my mind set.”

Dodd is just in his third season of football but had 81 tackles and five sacks as a junior. This season, he has nine sacks.

Dodd said he already feels like a part of the Clemson family.

“The coaches, they treat me like family already, and I like that,” he said. “I pretty much wanted to stay close to home, and close to my family. Plus, I like the way Clemson coaches their defensive linemen. I would love to be like Da’Quan Bowers, because he goes hard on every play.”

Dodd has some work to do academically but does have a chance to qualify. If he doesn't qualify, he'll spend a year in prep school before attending Clemson.

2011 Football Commitments


Shaq Anthony		OL  6-5  260 Piedmont, SC (Wren HS)


Isaiah Battle 		OL  6-7  260 St George, Virginia (Blue Ridge HS)


Mike Bellamy		RB  5-10 180 Punta Gorda, FL (Charlotte HS)


Martavis Bryant		WR  6-3  195 Hargrave Military Academy


Corey Crawford		DE  6-5  275 Hargrave Military Academy


Cortez Davis		DB  6-3  200 Daytona Beach, FL (Mainland HS)


Kevin Dodd		DL  6-5  270 Greer, SC (Riverside HS)


B.J. Goodson		LB  6-1  215 Lamar, SC (Lamar HS)


Joe Gore		DE  6-6  262 Lake Waccamaw, NC (East Columbus HS)


Adam Humphries		WR  5-11 176 Roebuck, SC (Dorman HS)


Grady Jarrett		DL  6-1  280 Conyers, GA (Rockdale County HS)


Marlin Lane		RB  6-1  190 Daytona Beach, FL (Mainland HS)


Eric MacLain		TE  6-5  245 Fayetteville, NC Jack (Britt HS)


Jerome Maybank		DT  6-4  310 Pawley's Island (Waccamaw HS)


Tony McNeal    		QB  6-1  180 Chester, SC (Chester, HS)


Ryan Norton		OL  6-4  275 Mauldin, SC (Mauldin HS)


Charone Peake		WR  6-3  200 Spartanburg, SC (Dorman HS)


Robert Smith  		ATH 6-0  180 Ft Dorchester, SC (Woodland HS)


Colton Walls     	LB  6-2  230 Charlotte, NC (Latin HS)


DeShawn Williams	DT  6-0  280 Central, SC (Daniel HS)