Signing Day preview and predictions

If the Tigers could somehow land Tony Steward, there is a chance they could go 3 for 3 with uncommitted prospects on Signing Day.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Feb 01 17:56:17 GMT-04:00 2011

CLEMSON – National Signing Day is turning into a mini national holiday around the country, joining the opening two days of the NCAA Tournament and Opening Day in Major League Baseball as a time when computers at workplaces across the country are tuned into sports sites and streaming audio and video rather than spreadsheets and Word documents.

And that day is tomorrow as the Clemson Tigers put the finishing touches on an outstanding recruiting class for 2011.

The day starts early in St. Augustine, Florida and the announcement of 5-star middle linebacker Tony Steward. The No. 3-rated MLB in the country will announce his choice between the Tigers and Florida St. at 10 am EST at his school.

He was a First Team All-First Coast LB by Florida Times-Union, and he finished his senior season with 81 tackles and five sacks.

As a junior, he was named First Team All State LB for the 3A classification, finishing the season with 121 tackles, five forced fumbles, three defensive touchdowns and five fumble recoveries.

The general consensus around the country and from several of the big recruiting sites is that Steward is going to pick the home-state Seminoles. Members of his family and some of his advisers would obviously love it if he would stay closer to home, but Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has his Tigers as a solid player with Steward.

Don’t be surprised if Steward pulls a C.J. Spiller-like move and picks Clemson on Wednesday. Right now, I would say the two schools are even.

No sooner will Steward's announcement be in the books then all eyes will turn Cullman (AL) OG Spencer Region, who announces at 10:30 am EST at his high school. The 3-star prospect is a late entry into Clemson’s plans, and he took an official visit to Clemson last weekend. The former Auburn commit fell in love with the campus, and everything seems to point to the big (6-6, 345), strong (he can bench 355-pounds, squat 545) and athletic (he has a 27-inch vertical jump) lineman signing with Clemson on Wednesday.

And finally, Anson (Wadesboro, NC) OLB Stephone Anthony will announce at his school at 11:30 a.m. The 5-star recruit is the No. 1-rated player in the state of North Carolina, and he has narrowed his choices down to Clemson and Virginia Tech.

His high school teammate, defensive back Brandon Ellerbe, will announce at 11 a.m. at the high school, and it seems pretty solid that Ellerbe will stick with his commitment to the Tar Heels. The one-time Clemson commit canceled his visit to North Carolina last weekend, prompting speculation that he could be ready to make a switch back to the Tigers, but he had to take the SAT.

Anthony did take the visit to North Carolina, but Anthony’s high school has said that it is really down to the Tigers and Hokies.

I watched Anthony quite extensively during Shrine Bowl practice back in December, and he moves extremely well for a kid his size (6-3, 220). He has a physical presence, tackles well, and seemingly always finds the ball. And the belief here is that he picks the Tigers.

So with one night to go, here are the odds for each recruit

Stephone Anthony	Clemson 60%	Virginia Tech 40%
Tony Steward	Florida State 51%	Clemson 49%
Spencer Region	Clemson 80%	Auburn 20%
Brandon Ellerbe	UNC 90%	Clemson 10%