Swinney Lands Another Alabama Prospect for the Tigers

by TigerNet Staff - Wed Aug 09 12:35:55 GMT-04:00 2006

CLEMSON – Mountain Brook, AL defensive end Drew Traylor became the 13th commitment for Clemson’s class of 2007 on Tuesday. Traylor will join former Mountain Brook teammate and current Clemson quarterback Tribble Reese, who signed with the Tigers two years ago.

“Traylor is a tall and lanky, athletic kid that the Clemson staff considers a very versatile player,” said recruiting analyst Mickey Plyler. (Click here for Mickey's Blog) “He is a guy that could play defensive end or tight end or possibly several other positions depending on how his body matures. He plays hard with high intensity and his motor is always running.“

Traylor also had offers from South Carolina, Duke, Vanderbilt, Purdue, Northwestern, Army and Kentucky. Last season, as a junior, Traylor had 61 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 5 sacks and 3 fumble recoveries. He is on target to be a full academic qualifier.

The Tigers would like to sign 2 tight ends and 3 defensive ends in this class, but Plyler says you can’t get caught up too much in the numbers by position.

“Clemson will take anywhere from 5 to 7 of these athletic type bodies in this class,” said Plyler. “6-4 and 225 pound guys that can run, Clemson will find a spot for them.”

Clemson assistant Dabo Swinney continues to recruit the Alabama area well for the Tigers. Other players from Alabama recruited by Swinney that signed with the Tigers include:

DB Adrian Kindred from Opelika, AL

QB Tribble Reese from Birmingham, AL

WR La'Donte Harris from Gadsden, AL

DL Jacquez McKissic from Opelika, AL

WR Jeffery Ogren from Tuscaloosa, AL

DB Terrell Smith from Chalkville, AL (Did not enroll)

Plyler said there is no secret to the success that Swinney has seen on the recruiting trail including landing Florida’s top running back prospect C.J. Spiller last year.

“His positive attitude is just contagious,” said Plyler. “He works hard and develops such a good relationship with the prospects. There is a positive energy about him and he also gives off about Clemson that is really attractive to recruits. He has never had a prospect he didn’t think he could sign.”

Reported 2007 Clemson Commitments


1.  Mason Cloy       OL 6-3  265 4.8 Columbia, SC (Spring Valley HS)


2.  Scotty Cooper    LB 6-0  195 4.5 Lake City, SC (Lake City HS)


3.  Xavier Dye       WR 6-4  215 4.5 Greenwood, SC (Greenwood HS)


4.  Stanley Hunter   LB 6-0  205 4.5 Duncan, SC (Byrnes HS)


5.  Jarvis Jenkins   DT 6-4  305 4.9 Central, SC (Daniel HS)


6.  Willy Korn       QB 6-2  200 4.5 Duncan, SC (Byrnes HS)


7.  Rennie Moore     DE 6-5  260 4.7 St. Mary's, GA (Camden Co. HS)


8.  Wilson Norris    OL 6-5  320 5.2 Pickens, SC (Pickens HS)


9.  David Smith      OT 6-5  280 4.9 Greenville, SC (Greenville HS)


10. Landon Walker    OT 6-6  270 5.0 Ronda, NC (East Wilkes HS)


11. Marcus Gilchrist DB 5-11 170 4.5 High Point, NC (Andrews HS)


12. Brian Linthicum  TE 6-5  220 4.7 Charlottesville, VA (St. Anne's-Belfield)


13. Drew Traylor      DE 6-4  225 4.7 Mountain Brook, AL (Mountain Brook HS)