Arch Manning headlines outstanding lineup of prospects in Clemson this weekend

Arch Manning spends time with Dabo Swinney in June.

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Fri Oct 29 08:00:06 GMT-04:00 2021

With the Florida State Seminoles coming to town, the Clemson coaching staff looks to put on a show in front of the nation’s top recruits Saturday afternoon.

The nation’s top quarterback prospect for the 2023 class, Arch Manning, headlines the visitors as he continues his college tour.

Manning – the son of Cooper Manning – has already visited Georgia, Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss. Clemson appears to be his last stop of the season, so the Tigers stand to make a big impression with a good crowd and improved offensive output.

As Clemson’s offensive line has come under fire this season, there could be help on the way as four, four-star linemen are set to come into town this weekend. A pair of in-state offers in Dorman’s Markee Anderson and Monroe Freeling out of Oceanside Collegiate will be joined by center Bradyn Joiner out of Auburn (AL) and Harris Sewell out of Odessa (TX) Permian.

Anderson (6-3, 300) has offers from Arkansas, Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and West Virginia. The Dorman product’s first trip was to Columbia to take in a Gamecocks’ game and then he was in Athens for Georgia’s win over Kentucky. As his recruiting profile continues to take shape, Anderson doesn’t claim any favorites. However, Clemson has always had success in the Dorman pipeline.

Freeling (6-7, 274) claims offers from coast-to-coast, including Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Stanford and Texas A&M among others. Freeling has already taken in games at Georgia and Alabama and hopes to get to some of the West Coast schools after his season ends.

Auburn (AL) offensive lineman Bradyn Joiner (6-2, 328) has 35 offers from schools like Georgia, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Pitt, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech. It appears that Georgia is the favorite at this point. Clemson hasn’t offered.

It’s difficult anytime a school tries to pull a recruit out of the state of Texas, but Clemson has as good a shot as any with Harris Sewell (6-3, 299), who has 19 offers from most of the SEC and Big 12. Sewell visited Clemson over the summer, so the Tigers have a chance.

As difficult as it is to get a recruit out of Texas, it may be more difficult to lure a top prospect out of Alabama. The No. 41 prospect in the country and ninth-ranked defensive end according to Rivals, Peter Woods, will be making a return trip to Clemson. If he’s going to shun the hometown Crimson Tide, Clemson may be the just the school to pull him away.

Another top Alabama prospect, Phenix City’s AJ Harris will make his way to Clemson, as well. Harris is ranked 11th in the country and is the top cornerback prospect in the country. The Tigers have been in the picture since the beginning and can only hope to strengthen that bond this weekend.

A couple of young quarterbacks will also be on hand Saturday. Gavin Owens out of Wren is a 2025 prospect who we really liked when we saw him throw at Dabo Swinney’s high school camp this summer. At 6-4 187, he already has a good frame, and he showed a smooth release and strong arm.

Trevor Lawrence’s high school coach Joey King is now at Carrollton (GA) and may have the next great quarterback prospect in Julian (JuJu) Lewis who is in the 2026 recruiting class. At 6-1, 165-pounds, Lewis already claims offers from Florida, Georgia Tech and Penn State. He attended Swinney’s high school camp over the summer and visited Florida and Georgia Tech for games in September.

A trio of Grayson prospects will also be on hand. That includes 4-star athlete JoJo Stone, who camped at Clemson this past summer. Stone can play on both sides of the ball, but one of the Grayson coaches told us that at the next level, Stone needs the ball in his hands. The Tigers definitely need playmakers, and Stone fits that description. Stone has offers from programs like Florida St., Georgia, Ole Miss, and Penn St.

Four-star safety Mikey Daugherty of Grayson also camped at Clemson last summer, and he is still looking for an offer from former Grayson coach Mickey Conn. The third member from Grayson is center Walt Flynn, who is good friends with current running back and former Grayson star Phil Mafah. We’ve seen Flynn in person and would describe him as a “finisher.”

2023

Markee Anderson, 4-star OL, Roebuck (SC) Dorman

Kelby Collins, 4-star DE, Gardendale (AL)

Manny Covey, RB, Starke (FL) Bradford

Mikey Daugherty, 4-star S, Loganville (GA) Grayson

Monroe Freeling, 4-star OT, Mount Pleasant (SC) Oceanside Collegiate

Grant Godfrey, 4-star LB, Suwanee (GA) North Gwinnett

AJ Harris, 4-star CB, Phenix City (AL) Glenwood School

Bradyn Joiner, 4-star C, Auburn (AL)

Arch Manning, 5-star QB, New Orleans (LA) Isidore Newman

Harris Sewell, 4-star OL, Odessa (TX) Permian

Daylan Smothers, 4-star RB, Charlotte (NC) Chambers