Tigers land another top offensive lineman

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Jul 23 21:18:35 GMT-04:00 2011

Offensive Line

6-7, 290

Ninety Six, SC

View Full Profile said he didn’t want to waste any more time, and that he was ready to join what he calls the Dream Team.

The big (6-7, 285) offensive tackle out of Ninety Six became the 14th commitment of Clemson’s 2012 recruiting class when he committed to recruiting coordinator Jeff Scott late Friday night, and made it official in a face-to-face visit with head coach Dabo Swinney Saturday.

“I called Coach Scott last night and let him know it,” Jones told TigerNet Saturday afternoon. “I told him I wanted it to be between me and him, and then me and my family drove up today and surprised Coach Swinney. He just thought I was visiting, I guess.

“I told him I was All In, and you should have seen the look on his face. It was pure surprise. He was excited about it, and he said ‘Are you really?’ I told him I was serious, and he said he was extremely happy about that.”

Jones is rated as the No. 14-rated recruit in the state of South Carolina and the 67th-best tackle according to Rivals, and he had offers from South Carolina, North Carolina, East Carolina, North Carolina St., Illinois and Kentucky.

Jones said, however, that he made the right decision and chose the school that was best for him.

“It was how comfortable I was with Clemson,” he said. “It just felt like the right place, and it’s a place I can see myself living for the next four or five years. I feel at home there. I could have waited and played games with myself, but when you know what’s best for you, it’s best to commit. I wanted to get it over with anyway. I looked at all of the schools and visited most of them, so I made an educated decision. Clemson is the right place for me and I couldn’t wait any longer.”

Jones met fellow Clemson commit and Dorman lineman Patrick DeStefano Patrick DeStefano

Offensive Line

6-4, 275

Roebuck, SC

View Full Profile at Clemson last year, and the two developed a strong friendship, and Jones said DeStefano was the first to know of his decision.

“He was in the know before anybody else,” he said. “Patrick and I have been close for a while, and he told me before he told anybody else and I decided to return the favor.”

Jones said he now feels like he can concentrate on his senior season at Ninety Six, but he is already dreaming of joining what he feels like is a strong 2012 recruiting class at Clemson.

“That’s a dream team right there,” he said. “That’s all I can say. It is the line and it’s just the whole class. A dream team.”


Name	POS	Ht/Wt	Hometown	ESPN Rank
Javarius Leamon	OL	6-6/295	Woodruff, SC
Travis Blanks	DB	6-1/180	Tallahassee, FL
Patrick DeStefano	OL	6-4/275	Roebuck, SC
Germone Hopper	ATH	6-0/175	Charlotte, NC
Jay Guillermo	OL	6-3/285	Maryville, TN
Shaquille Lawson	DE	6-4/240	Central, SC
Chad Kelly	QB	6-3/205	Buffalo, NY
Zac Brooks	ATH	6-2/180	Jonesboro, AR
Cordrea Tankersley	DB	6-2/195	Aiken, SC
Oliver Jones	OL	6-7/285	Ninety Six, SC
T.J. Burrell	LB	6-1/205	Goose Creek, SC
Martin Aiken	DE	6-3/250	Bamberg, SC
Ronnie Geohaghan	S	6-0/185	Fairfax, SC
Bradley Pinion	P/PK	6-6/220	Concord, NC