Notes on Clemson's 26 high school players signed on Early Signing Period

by CU Athletic Communications - Wed Dec 21 11:28:57 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON, S.C. — Upon the opening of the early signing period of Wednesday, 26 high school players signed National Letters of Intent to play football at Clemson. Clemson also announced the addition of one scholarship transfer and one preferred walk-on.

The early signing period will conclude on Friday, Dec. 23 in advance of National Signing Day on Feb. 1, 2023. Included below are notes on Clemson’s high school class as well as bios on the program’s latest additions.

RANKINGS REPORT

- Clemson’s class includes 11 members of the Rivals250: QB Christopher Vizzina, DL Peter Woods, DL Vic Burley, CB Avieon Terrell, DL Stephiylan Green, OL Harris Sewell, LB Dee Crayton, OL Ian Reed, DE Tomarrion Parker, OL Zechariah Owens and CB Branden Strozier.

- The group features nine selections to the 247Sports Top247: DL Vic Burley, DL Tomarrion Parker, QB Christopher Vizzina, DL Peter Woods, OL Zechariah Owens, DL Stephiylan Green, OL Harris Sewell, WR Ronan Hanafin and DL A.J. Hoffler.

- The class also includes nine members of the ESPN300: DL Peter Woods, QB Christopher Vizzina, DL Vic Burley, OL Harris Sewell, LB Jamal Anderson, DL Tomarrion Parker, OL Zechariah Owens, DL Stephiylan Green and DL David Ojiegbe.

- Ten members of the class were named among On3’s Top 300: DL Stephiylan Green, DL Peter Woods, QB Christopher Vizzina, DL Vic Burley, LB Jamal Anderson, DL Tomarrion Parker, OL Harris Sewell, DL David Ojiegbe, WR Noble Johnson and WR Tyler Brown.

- To date, every signing class in Dabo Swinney’s head coaching tenure has won at least one ACC Championship. All nine classes from 2012-20 earned at least one College Football Playoff berth.

- Entering this year, Clemson's recruiting classes finished in the top 15 of at least one primary recruiting service (ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports) every year since 2011. Clemson was one of only seven schools to produce a Top 15 class in each of the previous 12 recruiting cycles, a group that also includes Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame and Ohio State. Pending final signings and rankings updates, Clemson appears on pace to extend that streak with its 2023 class when rankings are finalized in February.

FAMILIAR PIPELINES

- With the addition of RB Jarvis Green, Clemson signed a player from Irmo’s Dutch Fork High School for a third straight cycle. Clemson welcomed WR Will Taylor from Dutch Fork in 2021 and added WR Antonio Williams in 2022.

- DL Tomarrion Parker became Clemson’s fourth signee from Phenix City’s Central High School since 2018, including WR Justyn Ross (2018), S Ray Thornton III (2019) and WR E.J. Williams (2020). Current Clemson safety Caleb Nix also attended Central High School in Phenix City prior to joining the Tigers as a preferred walk-on in 2022.

- CB Avieon Terrell became Clemson’s fourth signee from Atlanta’s Westlake High School since 2017, joining his brother, CB A.J. Terrell (2017), CB Nate Wiggins (2021) and WR Dacari Collins (2021).

- Clemson signed ATH Misun “Tink” Kelley from nearby Daniel High School in Central, S.C. The school has produced a number of recent Tigers who have gone on to lengthy NFL careers, including DT Jarvis Jenkins (2007 signee), WR DeAndre Hopkins (2010), DT DeShawn Williams (2011) and DE Shaq Lawson (2012) among many other Daniel products who have contributed in either scholarship and walk-on roles at Clemson.

- WR Tyler Brown became Greenville Senior High School’s third Clemson signee in the last two cycles, joining 2022 signees OL Collin Sadler and TE Josh Sapp.

- S Rob Billings became Milton (Ga.) High School’s third Clemson signee since 2019.

- DL David Ojiegbe attended Washington, D.C.’s St. John's College High School, where he was teammates with current Clemson DT Tré Williams in 2019.

RETURN TRIPS

- For the second time in three cycles, the players comprising Clemson’s class came entirely from states that had previously produced Clemson signees under Dabo Swinney. Outside of signing exclusively from existing pipelines in 2021 and 2023, Swinney added a new state in seven cycles from 2015-22: Utah in 2022; Kentucky in 2020; California, Michigan and Pennsylvania in 2019; Missouri in 2018; Indiana and Louisiana in 2017; Colorado, Kansas and Texas in 2016; and Massachusetts in 2015.

- Clemson’s class represents seven states and the District of Columbia: Georgia (11), Alabama (four, plus one transfer), South Carolina (three), Texas (three), Florida (two), Massachusetts (one), Pennsylvania (one) and Washington, D.C. (one).

- Since 1972, Clemson has signed student-athletes to football scholarships from 35 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.

A PEACH OF A CLASS

- Eleven of Clemson’s 26 high school signees on Wednesday hail from Georgia: LB Jamal Anderson (Buford), S Khalil Barnes (Athens), S Rob Billings (Atlanta), DL Vic Burley (Warner Robins), LB Dee Crayton (Alpharetta), DT Stephiylan Green (Rome), DL AJ Hoffler (College Park by way of Stuart, Fla.), CB Shelton Lewis (Stockbridge), OL Zechariah Owens (Covington), CB Branden Strozier (Lovejoy) and CB Avieon Terrell (Atlanta).

- Clemson’s 11 signees from Georgia are its most from the Peach State since 1985 (11). After a 6-6 freshman season, that 1985 class went 28-6-2 with three ACC titles and three bowl victories from 1986-88.

- For the fourth time in the last five years — and the sixth time in the last eight years — Georgia will produce the most players of any state in Clemson’s signing class.

- Georgia has produced 45 Clemson signees since 2016, the most of any state.

MORE BOYS FROM ‘BAMA

- Clemson signed four high school players from the state of Alabama (Roanoke’s Jay Haynes, Phenix City’s Tomarrion Parker, Birmingham’s Christopher Vizzina and Alabaster’s Peter Woods), its second-most of any state in the class.

- After signing five players from Alabama a season ago, Clemson has now signed at least four players from Alabama in consecutive years for the first time in records back to 1972.

- Clemson’s nine high school signees from Alabama over the last two cycles are tied with South Carolina (nine) for the second-most of any state in that span (12, Georgia).

- Clemson added a fifth player from Alabama in transfer QB Paul Tyson, who starred at the state’s Hewitt-Trussville High School before stints at Alabama (2019-21) and Arizona State (2022).

LONE STAR TRIO

- Clemson signed three players from the state of Texas: WR Noble Johnson (Rockwall), OL Ian Reed (Austin) and OL Harris Sewell (Odessa).

- The three Texas signees are the Tigers’ most on record in a single class in records back to 1972.

- Clemson has now signed at least one player from Texas in four consecutive classes, the Tigers’ longest streak on record. Clemson signed QB Cade Klubnik in 2022, S Andrew Mukuba in 2021 and S R.J. Mickens in 2020.

- After signing only three players from Texas from 2000-19, Clemson has signed six players from the Lone Star State since 2020, including at least one Texas signee in each of its four most recent classes.

- Reed and Sewell became the second offensive line duo signed by Clemson out of Texas in a single class, joining Deer Park’s Ryan Crawley and San Antonio’s Mike Kunz in 1990.

OTHER GEOGRAPHICAL NUGGETS

- Clemson added two players from the state of Florida: TE Olsen Patt Henry (Naples) and S Kylen Webb (Tampa), giving Clemson 21 Florida signees in the last five years. Clemson has now signed multiple players from Florida in five straight classes for the first time since a six-year stretch from 1992-97.

- Clemson did not sign a single player from Pennsylvania from 1996-2018. With the addition of TE Markus Dixon (Philadelphia) on Wednesday to signings of LB Keith Maguire (Media) in 2019 and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (Philadelphia) in 2021, Clemson has now signed a Pennsylvania native in three of its last five classes.

- WR Ronan Hanafin (Burlington) became only Clemson’s second Massachusetts signee since the turn of the century, joining the 2015 signing of eventual unanimous All-American Christian Wilkins (Springfield). Hanafin is Clemson’s fourth Massachusetts signee since 1972.

POSITION BREAKDOWN (HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP SIGNEES)

QB: 1; RB: 2; WR: 3; TE: 2; OL: 3; DL: 6; LB: 2; CB: 3; S: 3; ATH: 1