Tigers set to host another big recruiting weekend

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri Feb 11 19:28:59 GMT-04:00 2011

CLEMSON – Littlejohn Coliseum will be the site of more than just a basketball game on Saturday as both the football and basketball coaching staffs will be hosting several recruits that will watch the Tigers take on the University of North Carolina.

In adhering to the old adage of “strike while the iron is hot” the football coaching staff will try to build off of the success of National Signing Day by hosting two signees from 2011 – Dorman wide receiver Charone Peake and Wren OL Shaq Anthony – as well as some highly-touted juniors.

And all eyes in the building, of course, will be watching to see if the nation’s No. 1 recruit in 2011 - South Pointe’s Jadeveon Clowney – will be on hand for the game.

For the juniors, Crest High School (Shelby, N.C.) defensive end Jonathan Bullard will be on hand. Florida, North Carolina, N.C. State and South Carolina have all offered, and Clemson will more than likely offer during his visit on Saturday. Bullard hasn’t named a leader to this point.

Ninety Six offensive tackle Oliver Jones, who also visited two weeks ago, could be one to watch as a possible commitment this weekend. He has offers from Clemson and South Carolina.

One of the top offensive linemen in the state, Jones’ head coach at Ninety Six told TigerNet that Jones separates himself from the pack because of his work ethic and athleticism.

“He was the starting center on the school basketball team, and he can move,” Chris Liner said. “He is not just some big old floppy kid. He has really great hips, and he can turn, and he has unbelievable reach. He has this huge base, and good footwork. Plus, a lot of kids his age, even when they get to college, don’t have upper body strength. He got hurt last year and he worked on that, and he’s incredibly strong.

“Plus, he has a great work ethic, and he is just a genuinely good kid. I have had a lot of coaches tell me that they meet this kid and they can tell he is the real deal. When coaches meet him, they can tell he is something special. I don’t have to worry about him.”

Joining Jones and Bullard will be Northwest Cabarrus (Concord, NC) kicker Bradley Pinion. Gaffney wide receiver Quinshad Davis and Dorman OL Patrick DeStefano are also possibilities.

Clemson men’s basketball coach Brad Brownell will also have several prospects on hand, including Bernard Sullivan of Davidson Day (N.C.). The power forward is already a Clemson commitment.

Lexington High School’s Shaq Roland, who plays both basketball and football, is coming up for the basketball game with his high school coach. He visited two weeks ago as a safety prospect in football, but this weekend will be all about basketball for the shooting guard.

Others in town are Edisto junior power forward Brice Johnson, Chattahoochee (John’s Creek, Ga.) junior power forward Jaron Blossomgame, Lancaster sophomore wing Sindarius Thornwell, Mooresville (N.C.) junior shooting guard Shawn Lester, Charlotte Christian (N.C.) sophomore Patrick Rooks and Gaffney freshman L.J. Peak, who played on the Indians’ state title team last season as an 8th-grader.