Watch: Clemson WR Target Troy Stellato Live Commitment
Clemson recruited several long and athletic wide receivers during the past three seasons. What the Tigers did not seek were slot wide receivers. This will likely be the year that Clemson adds the final touch to an already outstanding young wide receiver core.
This past February cemented another excellent Clemson recruiting class. It included wide receiver recruits E.J. Williams from Phenix City () Central, and Ajou Ajou from Clearwater (Fla.) Clearwater Academy International. Both players were highly coveted prospects, and both shared another key trait.
Williams and Ajou are 6-3. That sort of height is something Clemson almost always seeks with its wide receivers, at least during the past three recruiting campaigns. Not since Amari Rodgers came to Clemson from Knoxville (Tenn.) Knoxville Catholic did the Tigers sign a player that truly fits the slot wide receiver roll. Rodgers is 5-10.
What Rodgers can do in the slot is move the chains, make the occasional big play in the screen game and give defensive coordinators fits in general because he’s so quick.
Which is exactly what the Tigers are hoping to get out of Troy Stellato.
One of the fastest rising prospects in the country would be Stellato out of Fort Lauderdale (Cardinal Gibbons), Fla. As his film demonstrates, he’s a lightning bolt on the football field.
Only listed at 6-foot, 175 pounds, Stellato is a four-star wide receiver — the 141st overall player and the 25th ranked wide receiver — that can make moves like a running back, and he possesses really good hands as well.
Truth be known, Stellato is one of the best players in the country, regardless of position. His so-called recruiting rankings improved during the past six months, but his offer sheet that includes Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Georgia, Penn State and Oregon provides a who’s who of college football programs.
Make no mistake, Stellato is an absolutely elite wide receiver. Those offers do not lie. His value holds from the fact that he can play two positions.
Stellato can play outside or in the slot. He’s strong enough to defeat press coverage against many cornerbacks and has the ability to quickly turn his hips and get upfield before linebackers can catch him.
The Tigers already have a commitment from Beaux Collins, Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco. The 6-2, 195-pound talent is not only a player that will run by you, but he will also make precise cuts, win a higher rate of 50-50 balls than most pass catchers, and can take a screen pass 80 yards for a touchdown by using his quick feet to weave through defenders.