Tiger Tracker: All Clemson Recruiting Mailbag

Each week All Clemson answers your recruiting questions.

Jason Priester All Clemson

You've got recruiting questions and we have the answers.

Welcome to All Clemson's recruiting mailbag, where each week we will answer your recruiting questions. Or we will at least attempt to do so, as recruiting is a world with a lot of moving parts and an ever-changing landscape.

With that in mind, let's dive in.

Mailbag

Alan: How is Clemson looking on corners? Any big names we should know?

I guess that would depend on your definition of "big names." The plan is to sign three. Right now, two of the top targets are Branden Strozier and Damari Brown. Both are blue-chip prospects and Brown is arguably a Top-250 talent. Strozier visited twice over the spring, one of those being for the spring game. Both are expected to be on hand the weekend of June 3 when the Tigers host a number of recruits on official visits.

Braeden Marshall is another name to keep an eye on, although he has not been on campus since picking up his offer on Elite Junior Day back in January. A scheduling conflict will keep him from being able to take an official that first weekend in June, but there is a possibility that he returns for an unofficial visit the following weekend.

Avieon Terrell, the younger brother of former Clemson corner A.J. Terrell is another player to watch. He is also set to take an official that first weekend in June.

David: They are hurting right now with their running back recruiting. Just can not get the elite backs they were getting earlier a few years back. Is Clemson missing on too many of them?

Not sure I agree that the program is hurting in regards to recruiting running backs. Not at this point, anyways. The term "elite" is kind of subjective. While Travis Etienne and Wayne Gallman ended up being elite backs in my eyes, I'm not sure they were what I would call elite coming out of high school. To me, elite would indicate a guy who is Top-10 at his position and no worse than Top-50 or so overall. But again, your definition of the word and mine may differ somewhat.

Running back is a position the staff has always been very meticulous with. They just don't offer a ton of them. They recruit one, two, or maybe three at a time. Clemson went all-in on Trevor Etienne in the last cycle and missed, obviously, and by the time he made a decision, signing day was just a few weeks away. It was really too late to grab a top-flight back.

Fast forward to 2023, and the Tigers now have three proven, top-flight backs on the roster in Will Shipley, Phil Mafah and Kobe Pace. With Pace being just a redshirt sophomore and Shipley and Mafah both true sophomores, getting one of the top-rated backs to Clemson in this class might be a tough sale. Those types of players generally want at least some early playing time and the Tigers just don't have a ton of that to offer.

The staff did take two big swings on Richard Young and Justice Haynes in this class and missed on both. Two guys I never thought they had much chance of landing in the first place, but still, you have to take your shot. Clemson also offered Cedric Baxter, but never gained much traction. 

Having said all that, I will be surprised if we get to signing day and there isn't a blue-chip running back as a part of this class. Jeremiah Cobb and Sam Singleton are two names the staff could turn toward, as both took spring visits. Or they could choose to go in an entirely different direction. 

Either way, I would suggest letting it play out before hitting the panic button. Early signing day is still seven months away, and recruits just aren't pulling the trigger on commitments as quickly in this class as they have in recent years. Let's get through the summer and maybe revisit.

Robbie: I know it's been mentioned that Clemson may take two tight ends in this class Who's on the radar?

Yes, the plan is to take two tight ends. With Reid Miskeska already on board after having committed last month, the staff has turned its attention toward that second guy.

Right now, only two uncommitted players have offers, and the Tigers shouldn't be considered a favorite to land either. One is Duce Robinson, the top player at the position in this class. The other is Jelani Thurman, who is a Top-150 talent and just listed Clemson in his list of top schools, which also included Auburn, Miami, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Alabama, Ohio State and Tennessee. Ben Marshall is one tight end without an offer that visited during the spring.

This is a position the staff can afford to be patient with, though. Maybe we see the board start to expand after the Dabo Swinney high school camps next month when a high volume of 2023 prospects will make their way to campus to work out for the coaching staff. 

David: How would you compare Ian Reed to Sullivan Absher? Are they similar type prospects or is Absher higher on Clemson’s board?

I would say they are very comparable. Both arguably rank in that Top 200-250 range overall and around Top-20 when it comes to ranking all of the tackle prospects in this class. While Absher might have been higher on the board originally, that doesn't necessarily equate to him being more talented. It just isn't always that black and white, as there are more things than talent that factor in. Absher is from North Carolina and Reed is from Texas. Proximity definitely plays a part in some cases.

Reed is one of four offensive linemen set to be on hand that first weekend in June. There is genuine interest here. While it is still a little early, right now, you could even call the Tigers a favorite. If in fact, it does play out that way, that would continue a recent trend of the Tigers having some success in the state of Texas.

Do you have any recruiting questions that you want to ask? If so, just let us know. Shoot us an email at jp@clemsonmaven.io or shoot us a DM on Twitter.

The Tigers, who went 10-3 in 2021 and finished 14th in the final Associated Press Poll, are the fourth team on FanDuel Sportsbook's list to win it all in 2022.

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