Clemson signs three of top-5 ESPN prospects, jumps into top-5 rank

Xavier Thomas is among three top-five prospects that Clemson signed Wednesday.

by Brandon Rink - Staff Writer - Wednesday, December 20, 2017, 8:10 PM

Xavier Thomas - Defensive End
TigerNet: (5.00)

Height: 6-3 Weight: 260 Hometown: Bradenton, FL (IMG Academy HS) Class: 2018

ESPN:

#4 Overall, #2 DE, #1 FL

Rivals:

#5 Overall, #1 DE, #1 FL

24/7:

#4 Overall, #1 SDE, #1 FL

ESPN's recruiting rankings were already a fan of Clemson's class, ranking them an industry-high ninth going into Wednesday.

Add in signing announcements from the site's No. 5 overall player in West Forsyth (N.C.) defensive end K.J. Henry and the No. 1-rated offensive tackle in Jackson Carman (Fairfield, OH), and that's good enough for a top-five class through day one of the early signing period (which runs through Dec. 22).

Henry combines with the site's No. 1 pocket passer in Trevor Lawrence and No. 1 defensive end in Xavier Thomas for three Clemson signees in the top-five prospects.

In all, 10 of Clemson's 15 signees were rated in the ESPN 300, including nine in the top-10 of their position group.

Georgia leads the ESPN overall team rankings with 23 commits, followed by Ohio State (22), Texas (20), Penn State (22) and then Clemson.

247Sports' Composite rankings, which includes ESPN's as well as Rivals.com, has Clemson seventh with about a month and a half to the traditional National Signing Day.

Clemson in ESPN 300 rankings

No. 2 Trevor Lawrence (No. 1 pocket passer)

No. 3 Xavier Thomas (No. 1 defensive end)

No. 5 K.J. Henry (No. 3 defensive end)

No. 12 Jackson Carman (No. 1 offensive tackle)

No. 43 Justin Mascoll (No. 6 defensive end)

No. 80 Derion Kendrick (No. 8 athlete)

No. 88 Josh Belk (No. 8 defensive tackle)

No. 113 Kyler McMichael (No. 11 athlete)

No. 168 Lyn-J Dixon (No. 9 running back)

No. 202 Mike Jones Jr. (No. 8 outside linebacker)

#Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on another big Signing Day: "It never gets old."

A post shared by TigerNet (@clemsontigernet) on Dec 20, 2017 at 3:43pm PST