Mail Call-July 6 |
Send your e-mails on our front page and get them answered daily. July 6 Question-If the Tiger coaching staff could choose that one dominating player to commit to the Tigers, which recruit would it be? A RB? Thanks Billy T Clinton, SC. Answer-It really depends on the position. At running back I would say James Davis of Atlanta. At wide receiver you may say Rouse but realistically Byrd, Billings or Thomas. Maybe the best tight end/defensive end on the board is Hannah. Linebackers atop the list include Clay and Miller. The top safeties include Coates, Washington and Wright. Top corners include McElrathbey and Robinson. Top offensive linemen include Austin, Grant and Oher. But one player is difficult. Maybe because of need I would say in a draft the staff may would take Davis or Byrd. Just a guess. Question-I have a question regarding our number 1 and 2 QBs. It seems that great teams do NOT have as much separation between 1 and 2 as we do. However, even if that is the norm, I'm concerned over the return we're getting from QB coaching. If O'Cain is considered one of the best in the country at coaching QBs, why is there still such a gap between our 1 and 2? How much progress has Proctor made? Is it possible that O'Cain is simply "more known" because he is a former head coach? I also have a general recruiting question. Isn't it typical for colleges to recruit kids who are marginal football players for a chance at a bigger recruit at the same school? I wonder how much the recruiters at Clemson do that and how it has paid off. Is that what we did with Taylor Tremel? Thanks for all the great insight into recruiting! Wes Answer-I would disagree on the separation. Beside Georgia, Oklahoma and Southern Cal, I don't know of another school that has two all-conference type quarterbacks. I think Whitehurst is that much better than almost any school's number two guy. I could be wrong but often there is a tremendous gap between the two. Mike O'Cain has done a fantastic job. Look at the quarterback production (Streeter, Dantzler, Simmons, Whitehurst) post Tommy Bowden and Mike O'Cain. Clemson rarely had All-Conference caliber quarterbacks. The second question hits on a key to this staff. Look at the players in this program that were not highly recruited but have been better than expected. Whitehurst, Sharpe, Hill, Fudge, etc. I think this staff evaluates well. Question- Good luck with the web sight. I can't wait for football season to begin. We had a great time in Atlanta for the Peach Bowl. My question is this: "How is Clemson now doing in the State of SC compared to USC?" I think that we have to use this year to reestablish ourselves as the leader in the State. Thanks. Bill in Irmo, SC. Answer-Bill good to hear from you again. I think the Tigers are stronger in the state than they have been in many years. The finish last season got a lot of kids and coaches attention. South Carolina was hot after their two bowl wins but have dropped off slightly. Clemson is hot in state right now. I think the only players the Tigers are not in the top two or three with right now in the state that they have or will offer are Neal, Green and Huggins. If today were January I think they would at least get a visit from everyone in state that they have or will offer. This staff s very confident about its chances in the state right now.
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