COMMENTARY: A Football Fix for Clemson Fans |
CLEMSON -- There is no offseason in the world of college football anymore.
Year-round workouts are the rule, rather than the exception, for athletes hoping to maintain a competitive edge against the opposition. Film study, camps and speaking engagements keep coaches busy throughout the summer. So does recruiting, the lifeblood of any football program, not to mention the source of a giant football fix for Clemson fans dying for the first rubbing of Howard's Rock. In the interest of heading off premature football withdrawal, several recruiting nuggets are mentioned here for Clemson fans to Jones on. From the current signees department: - Defensive lineman Wendell Singletary (6-foot-6, 230 pounds) from Whiteville, N.C., just missed a qualifying score on his last attempt at the SAT. Needing an 820 to meet the NCAA minimum standard, Singletary scored an 810 on the test taken earlier this month. He still awaits word on the ACT, also taken earlier this month, and expects those results sometime in the next 1-2 weeks. Singletary said Monday if that score fails, his inclination now would be to stay home and take the SAT again in the fall, then enroll at Clemson in January. His other option is junior college, but Singletary said he wasn't too excited about losing up to two years of Division I eligibility by going the juco route. - High profile wide receiver Tymere Zimmerman from Marlboro County High School said Monday he expects to know the results of his ACT by the end of this week. Zimmerman learned Friday that his last attempt at the SAT fell short. Should the ACT score not come through, don't be surprised to see Zimmerman enter prep school this fall and go through the entire recruiting process again, during which time sources say South Carolina could become a major factor. - Leo Reed, the 6-4, 295 pound defensive lineman from Georgetown did not make the score on either his ACT or SAT. He will be enrolling at Georgia Military Academy this fall. And from the new recruits department: - Contrary to Internet reports Monday, Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.) star Gerald McCloud has yet to officially commit to Clemson. No need to worry if you're a Tiger fan, however. His high school coach, John Street, said Monday night he expected the announcement to come today. "He told me he was very comfortable in the environment up there," Street said. "He visited USC and Florida as well, but felt really comfortable with coach (Rick) Stockstill. Clemson's going to be getting themselves one hell of a player." McCloud (6-2 1/2, 185 pounds) consistently ran a 4.5 40-yard dash at camps in recent weeks. A running back for Country Day, McCloud recently put together eye-popping numbers in his team's spring jamboree. In actual game conditions against a rival high school, McCloud ran for 234 yards, had 150 yards in receptions, and on defense made 13 solo tackles, recovered a fumble and had an interception. Street said McCloud, who also returns punts and kickoffs, is being recruited as both a defensive back and wide receiver. "I really think he'll play wide receiver," Street said. "He runs great routes." Dan Scott is the host of SportsTalk (10AM-Noon) on 104.9 FM in Upstate SC and Managing Editor of Seneca Daily Journal/Clemson Daily Messenger
Upgrade Your Account
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now
