EJ Price, Damar Hamlin, and other recruiting notes

Jul 27, 2015, 7:16 AM

For starters, it appears that we quit recruiting EJ Price soon after he committed to UGA. It's my opinion that when he decommitted from UGA, the door was wide open for others and we did not pursue. Others did and as of now one shouldn't be optimistic about our chances. Not to sound like a pessimist, our staff has done some remarkable and unpredictable things before (see Christian Wilkins). Price is a pretty tough dude if you ask me. Prior to The Opening, he had several teeth removed and also underwent chest surgery yet he was on the field just a few days later.

A few quick side notes- DE Jordan Smith looks as if he's going to be a gamecawk. Before we get into the Damar Hamlin talk I'd like to pass along that DB Stephen Davis Jr had this to say, - "I think I committed too early. Also, I think they signed a little too many DBs this past year." The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder added he is currently "70 percent" committed to the Auburn Tigers. Hey don't forget he was in Clemson for the spring game and said the visit was "definitely eye opening." If I'm Brent Venables or Mike Reed, I'd press HARD to get him back. Hey, why not... we're looking for a taller DB.

Damar Hamlin is definitely one of the better defensive backs in this class. That is a certainty. Not only has Ohio State landed verbal commits from former Tiger prospects Wayne Davis and Kareem Felder but they could be looking at getting Hamlin as well. (Yes, I share your dismay on that one) Folks shouldn't count out Penn State, Va Tech, and even Pitt. Funny thing about Pitt though regarding Hamlin- there was a little incident on Twitter that had me laughing and Pitt fans face-palming. (More on that below, worth the read guys) Hamlin has spoken of taking some visits but unfortunately we were not mentioned though ND, PSt, VT, Miami, and UCLA were but only the first three are guaranteed a visit at the time of this posting. Below I'll give ya Hamlin's bio and the aforementioned story. (Ya know.... I spoil you guys

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CB Damar Hamlin 6-1 175 Pittsburgh, PA Central Catholic

Received an offer from CU on 3/9/15 after jr day. 24/7 composite has Hamlin rated as the #12 CB and #141 nationally 4*. Rivals rates him 4*, #9 CB, and the number 109 prospect overall. In 2014, he totaled 45 tackles, 2 TFLs, a sack, and 4 INTs. He returned two picks for a score while adding five scores on the offensive end. Had 7 catches for 155 yds, 3 TDs, and a 22.1 yd avg. Per HUDL.com, he runs a 4.5 40 and has a 255 bench press. Holds offers from CU, OhSt, PSt, Mich, MichSt, Wisc, ND, Miami, and others. His school finished 11-2 (6-1) and was the 4A runner up. Film- http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2828640/damar-hamlin

The latest- Not slated to visit Clemson at this point. “I’m going to Penn State on July 18, I want to get up to Notre Dame soon, I’m going to Ohio State’s Friday Night Lights, I’ll go to Virginia Tech maybe this month and then I’ll set up officials to Miami and UCLA.”

Some reading on Hamlin- http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2486056-damar-hamlin-tweets-top-10-odds-on-where-4-star-cb-lands

Quick Note- Via Twitter, Hamlin's father released one day that, "It's always Pitt fans saying something crazy." This was in regards to something outlandish put out there by an apparent Pitt fan. The said fan mentioned that it would be "disloyal" for a local guy to leave and play somewhere else. Yet, Hamlin responded with a picture of a near empty stadium for a Pitt home game with the caption, "This LOYALTY you talking about!! What seat you in?" For your viewing pleasure, http://bwi.forums.rivals.com/threads/damar-hamlin-calls-out-pitt-fans-for-being-crazy.16473/

The latest This spring, Hamlin ND Jr Day, visited Pitt, PennSt, and Ohio St (April 11th). He is also rising in most rankings. He released a Top Ten which included Clemson.

Quick quote from Hamlin- "Dreams of playing and starting Division I football and get an education. Hopefully one day play in the NFL , Make high honors and become one of the top student athletes of my class."

From the Columbus Opening- "Though he's listed as a cornerback, he played safety too on Sunday and was really effective at both. Hamlin is big, fluid, has high point-ability and just looked like the most natural skill player on defense at the event. Ohio State, Penn State and Notre Dame highlight the Crystal Ball." Barton Simmons of 24/7.

Film highlights-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTsMqwxdOAg

Short Read- We do believe the cornerback position is among the game's most difficult to play. It's certainly the most exposed, but that's why you're going to enjoy watching the Pittsburgh Central Catholic athlete get after it.

Hamlin plays with a serious edge, challenging his opponent throughout.
There's a great series of plays beginning at :40 that shows us exactly what Hamlin can do. First, we love how he shades the receiver outside, gets turned twice yet still manages to make a great play on the ball. That work down the field is vital at the next level.

On the very next play, we see Hamlin's lateral speed and toughness. With the receiver running an underneath route, Hamlin works his way through traffic and snuffs out the play on the other side of the field. Somehow, Hamlin emerges with a pick-6.

You certainly need your corners to assist in the run game, too, and the junior settles up at 1:34, fighting through a block, and again at 1:56 by taking advantage of a free lane to attack the ball carrier.

The rest simply showcases Hamlin's overall speed - there are two punt returns that are pretty impressive - and drive. If you fancy speed, toughness and a knack for making big plays, Hamlin covers all three. And then some. Read more here- http://www.pennlive.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/02/pennsylvanias_top_2016_footbal_6.html

More Hamlin film-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3O72EIfp5Q

An evaluation from a former player- Athletic ability/immeasurables- Hamilin is a fluid athlete with good speed. He has ideal height and length for the cornerback position, but needs to add weight and strength.

Skills/technique- He’s a tremendous player in zone coverage. His eye discipline is excellent and it allows him to not only be responsible within the defense, but get himself in a position to make plays. He passes off receivers well and will plant and explode to break on the football.

He has very good ball skills and also has the athleticism to finish interceptions and gain big yards.

His high school team appears to play a lot more zone than man coverage, but I like his mirroring skills and he appears to be smooth in his transitions. He closes on the ball well.

I love his aggression as a tackler. A very willing player in run support that does a nice job of wrapping up and wants to make an impact on contact. Sometimes will not bring his feet and leap and grab instead, but hopefully that habit goes away once he physically matures and gets stronger. Will fight to get off of blocks and also flashes as a blitzer.

Scheme fit- He has athletic tools and physical measurables to be a strong corner in man coverage, but his awareness in coverage and ability to tackle well makes him a candidate to move to safety if corner doesn’t work out.

Potential- Hamlin is just a darn good football player that does pretty much everything well. His versatility makes his ceiling really low. I think he is going to be a very good defensive back for multiple seasons at the next level and could contribute very early in his career

S Stephen Davis Jr 6-4 215 Irmo, SC Dutch Fork HS

Committed to Auburn. 4* and the # 17 ATH on 2/47.com. Rivals gives him 4* and rates him as the #10 athlete, 119 overall. Visited Clemson for the Orange and White game and had this to say- “We’ve been keeping in touch a lot since then,” he said. “We just go back and forth, talking with each other. Seeing what I can do, to get back up there and watch a game. The Clemson spring game was live. I really had fun at the Clemson spring game. I’m just imagining what a real game is like. The defense, I like the way they run their defense,” Davis said. “The coaching is just coaching that you’ve never seen before. I know everybody talks about Auburn’s defensive coaching staff, but Clemson has a pretty good coaching staff, too. Coach Venables is a nice defensive coordinator.”

Recently said this in May- "I think I committed too early. Also, I think they signed a little too many DBs this past year." The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder added he is currently "70 percent" committed to the Tigers.

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I may not share other folks enthusiasm in regards to Osborne coming to Clemson but I still won't rule us out. He's been a Vol lock for quite some time but he does have player connections at Clemson. Though we've lost out some recruits, our staff has proven time and again that they are capable of bringing in elite talent. Nonetheless, here's some stuff on Tony Butler if you're not familiar with him...

Tony Butler 6-2 195 Lakewood, OH St. Edward HS

3* prospect according to 24/7 who ranks him as the #38 CB. Scout gives him 3* and the #35 prospect in Ohio. .As a junior, Butler had 27 tackles, 10 pass break ups, three interceptions and a forced fumble. His top four schools are Clemson, Arizona State, Rutgers, and Michigan. Butler was a former Pittsburgh commit but decommitted on July 3 after not visiting the campus. He decided to decommit before taking many visits to other schools. Film- http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2627982/highlights/214810380/v2

"The coaching staff is pretty cool, Coach Reed was very honest with me and just told me that he feel like I'm the real deal and I can make a impact early. But I'm going to have to want it and want to get better everyday. He didn't promise me anything."

"I'm going to visit Clemson tomorrow," Butler stated Sunday evening. "I've heard it's a great place, and I'm looking forward to checking it out. I'm on vacation in Atlanta, and all my family is raving about the school. My mom and I will be taking the visit," he added. "I'm definitely interested, and a lot of my family is in the South, so it's not too far from home for me at all."

"Clemson started following me on Twitter once I decommitted from Pittsburgh, and they just wanted to know if I would be interested in them," Butler stated when he received the Clemson offer. "When I told them I was interested, they started explaining to me about their program and how great it is."

"Their defensive backs coach (Mike Reed) told me they are taking three cornerbacks this year, and they have two already committed," he added. "He said I am the perfect fit for Clemson, because they want the bigger corners. They don't normally recruit Ohio, but they liked my film a lot and decided to come after me."

EJ Price, Damar Hamlin, and other recruiting notes

Re: EJ Price, Damar Hamlin, and other recruiting notes

Not that I know of but Tony Butler is visiting today

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