Recruiting-Offense

by Mickey Plyler - Radio Host - Wed May 15 09:41:35 GMT-04:00 2013

Recruiting-Offense

College football coaches are out this month hitting the recruiting trail once again and Clemson's staff is no different. The Tigers' staff has a different situation this year though because they have to be very selective in who they offer due to lack of scholarships.

At this point Clemson is expected to sign around 15 players next February. Clemson has only nine scholarship seniors this year including Tajh Boyd, Rod McDowell, Darrell Smith, Brandon Thomas, Tyler Shatley, Quandon Christian, Spencer Shuey, Darius Robinson and Chandler Catanzaro. Many believe Sammy Watkins could leave school after his junior season, if he returns to the form of his freshman season and attrition almost always hits, so that number is expected to rise.

So far this year Clemson has five verbal commitments but that number could grow in the next few weeks. Tomorrow we will look at the defense but here is a quick breakdown of the class on the offensive side of the ball at this point:

Quarterbacks

The Tigers have secured a commitment from the nation's top quarterback prospect in DeShawn Watson of Gainesville, GA. Watson is a five-star prospect that is ranked as the 11th best prospect in the country according to rivals.com.

Watson is the only quarterback on Clemson's board at this time and is the only one they will take. He has the luxury of enrolling in January and will compete with Cole Stoudt and Chad Kelly for the starting quarterback position next spring.

Running Backs

Clemson wants to sign two running backs in the next class. The staff has one commitment at this point and they didn't have to travel very far to get it. Jae'lon Oglesby Jae'lon Oglesby
Running Back
5-11, 175
Central, SC
View Full Profile of Daniel High School in Central, SC committed to the Tigers last summer and has stuck with his commitment.

Oglesby is a terrific open field runner with outstanding vision. He is a four-star prospect according to rivals.com.

Clemson had an earlier commitment from Dalvin Cook Dalvin Cook
Running Back
5-11, 190
Miami, FL
View Full Profile of Miami, FL but this four-star back changed his commitment to Florida recently. There is rumblings in his camp that Cook will once again open up his recruiting and Clemson and Miami hope to get back in the picture. This morning on the radio show, Ryan Bartow of tigerillustrated.com said its still a long shot for the Tigers to get back in with Cook.

Another local product favors the Tigers. Easley High School's C.J. Fuller C.J. Fuller
Running Back
5-10, 180
Easley, SC
View Full Profile lists Clemson as his favorite. Fuller plays running back at Easley but Clemson is recruiting this speedster as an athlete.

Clemson is also recruiting top-ranked backs in neighboring states. Adam Choice Adam Choice
Running Back
5-9, 190
Thomasville, GA
View Full Profile of Thomasville, GA is a four-star back that has the Tigers in his top two or three along with Auburn.

Donte Thomas-Williams Donte Thomas-Williams
Running Back
6-0, 210
Durham, NC
View Full Profile is one of the best backs in North Carolina. This Durham native is another four-star prospect and this big back also has Clemson at the top of his list.

Bartow said Clemson may end up telling Choice and Thomas-Williams that the first one the commits will have the final spot.

Wide Receivers

Clemson has no seniors at this position but this is still a spot where they need immediate help in this class. With Sammy Watkins likely headed to the NFL after the season and Martavis Bryant, Charone Peake and Adam Humphries entering their junior seasons, the Tigers need to hit it big at this position.

Perhaps the top prospect on the board is Demarre Kitt Demarre Kitt
Wide Receiver
6-1, 185
Tyrone, GA
View Full Profile of Tyrone, GA. This four-star prospect lists Clemson, Tennessee and Ohio State as his finalist and could make his commitment in the next three weeks.

Another highly thought of wide receiver high on their board at this point is Travion Thompson of Durham, NC. This is yet another four-star prospect that likes the way Clemson uses its wide receivers.

Trey Quinn Trey Quinn
Wide Receiver
6-1, 190
Lake Charles, LA
View Full Profile is a wideout from Lake Charles, LA. This four-star prospect currently favors Clemson and LSU.

Tight Ends

The Tigers class got a big boost last week when Savannah, GA tight end Milan Richard Milan Richard
Tight End
6-5, 230
Savannah, GA
View Full Profile picked the Tigers over Georgia. This four-star prospect is the nephew of former Georgia star Herschel Walker and reminds some of former Clemson tight end Dwayne Allen.

Clemson also has a commitment from three-star tight end Cannon Smith Cannon Smith
Tight End
6-5, 235
Columbia, SC
View Full Profile of Columbia. Smith is the son of former Clemson defender Bill Smith who is currently on the board of trustees at Clemson. Some think Smith could eventually grow into an offensive tackle prospect based upon his large frame.

Offensive Line

The Tigers lose only two offensive linemen next year and would like to sign a couple of good ones in this class. The staff already has one of the top linemen in the state committed in Taylor Hearn Taylor Hearn
Offensive Line
6-5, 305
Williston, SC
View Full Profile of Williston, SC. Hearn is a three-star prospect that could play a couple of positions on the offensive line.

Tomorrow we will look at how the class is shaping up on the defensive side of the ball.

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