We're bringing back an old favorite and comparing the recruiting rankings of Clemson and Oklahoma, as well as looking at the depths from a recruiting angle. Form what conclusions you will from the different tables. Success on the recruiting trail leads to success on the field and vice versa. I used www.clemsontigers.com and www.ourlads.com for the Clemson death chart, and www.soonersports.com for the Oklahoma depth chart since they usually update theirs consistently. I used Scout and Rivals for the recruiting rankings.
Both teams consistently recruit at a good but not elite level. Oklahoma's recruiting is a reason for their relative decline, particularly on defense, over the past few seasons. Both teams do recruit well but it is not at a championship level, which is somewhat surprising for the Sooners given their pedigree and proximity to Texas.
Year | Clemson | Oklahoma |
2011 Scout |
3.24 (#12) | 3.68 (#15) |
2011 Rivals | 3.34 (#8) | 3.65 (#14) |
2011 Average | 3.29 | 3.67 |
2012 Scout | 3.40 (#12) | 3.4 (#12) |
2012 Rivals | 3.45 (#14) | 3.52 (#11) |
2012 Average | 3.43 | 3.46 |
2013 Scout | 3.35 (#12) | 3.29 (#15) |
2013 Rivals | 3.30 (#14) | 3.17 (#15) |
2013 Average | 3.33 | 3.23 |
2014 Scout | 3.37 (#28) | 3.23 (#13) |
2014 Rivals | 3.32 (#13) | 3.22 (#15) |
2014 Average | 3.35 | 3.225 |
Clemson Offense | Oklahoma Offense | |||||||||||||||
Pos. | # | Player | Hgt | Wgt | Yr. | Scout | Rivals | . | Pos. | # | Player | Hgt. | Wgt. | Yr. | Scout | Rivals |
LT | 79 | Isaiah Battle | 6-7 | 275 | Jr | 4* | 4* | LT | 71 | Tyrus Thompson | 6-5 | 336 | RsSr | 4* | 4* | |
77 | Reid Webster | 6-4 | 300 | RsSr | 3* | 3* | 55 | Josiah St. John | 6-6 | 300 | RsJr | 3* | 3* | |||
LG | 68 | David Beasely | 6-4 | 320 | RsSr | 3* | 3* | 70 | Christian Daimler | 6-7 | 300 | RsFr | 3* | 3* | ||
78 | Eric MacLain | 6-4 | 295 | RsJr | 4* | 4* | LG | 74 | Adam Shead | 6-4 | 339 | RsSr | 4* | 3* | ||
C | 58 | Ryan Norton | 6-3 | 280 | RsJr | 3* | 3* | 77 | Dionte Savage | 6-4 | 343 | Sr | 2* | 2* | ||
57 | Jay Guillermo | 6-3 | 315 | RsSo | 3* | 3* | C | 56 | Ty Darlington | 6-2 | 286 | Jr | 4* | 4* | ||
RG | 77 | Reid Webster | 6-4 | 300 | RsSr | 3* | 3* | 54 | Nila Kasitati | 6-4 | 315 | RsJr | 3* | 3* | ||
55 | Tyrone Crowder | 6-2 | 345 | RsFr | 4* | 4* | 68 | Jonathan Alvarez | 6-3 | 316 | Fr | 2* | 2* | |||
RT | 67 | Kalon Davis | 6-5 | 340 | RsSr | 3* | 3* | RG | 77 | Dionte Savage | 6-4 | 343 | Sr | 2* | 2* | |
73 | Joe Gore | 6-5 | 300 | RsJr | 3* | 3* | or | 54 | Nila Kasitati | 6-4 | 315 | Jr | 3* | 3* | ||
TE | 86 | Sam Cooper | 6-6 | 250 | RsSr | 2* | 2* | RT | 79 | Daryl Williams | 6-6 | 329 | RsSr | 4* | 4* | |
16 | Jordan Leggett | 6-5 | 240 | So | 3* | 3* | 72 | Derek Farniok | 6-9 | 329 | RsJr | 3* | 3* | |||
81 | Stanton Seckinger | 6-4 | 2-30 | RsJr | 2* | 3* | TE | 10 | Blake Bell | 6-6 | 259 | RsSr | 5* | 4* | ||
WR | 3 | Artavis Scott | 5-11 | 185 | Fr | 4* | 4* | 88 | Taylor McNamara | 6-5 | 245 | RsSo | 3* | 4* | ||
5 | Germone Hopper | 6-0 | 180 | RsSo | 4* | 4* | 81 | Sam Grant | 6-7 | 281 | RsSo | 3* | 3* | |||
QB | 18 | Cole Stoudt | 6-4 | 210 | Sr | 3* | 3* | WR | 16 | Micah Quick | 6-0 | 170 | Fr | 4* | 4* | |
12 | Nick Schuessler | 6-3 | 195 | RsSo | 2* | 2* | 1 | KJ Young | 6-0 | 177 | RsFr | 3* | 3* | |||
4 | Deshaun Watson | 6-3 | 190 | Fr | 4* | 5* | 83 | Austin Bennett | 6-0 | 175 | So | 3* | 3* | |||
WR | 7 | Mike Williams | 6-3 | 205 | S | 4* | 4* | WR | 5 | Durron Neal | 5-11 | 201 | Jr | 4* | 4* | |
5 | Germone Hopper | 6-0 | 180 | So | 4* | 4* | 1 | KJ Young | 6-0 | 177 | RsFr | 3* | 3* | |||
WR | 13 | Adam Humphries | 5-11 | 190 | Sr | 3* | 2* | 83 | Austin Bennett | 6-0 | 175 | So | 3* | 3* | ||
83 | Daniel Rodriguez | 5-8 | 175 | Sr | N/R | N/R | 87 | Jeff Mead | 6-6 | 184 | Fr | 3* | 3* | |||
19 | Charone Peak | 6-2 | 205 | RsJr | 4* | 4* | WR | 3 | Sterling Shepard | 5-10 | 195 | Jr | 4* | 4* | ||
RB | 9 | Wayne Gallman | 6-1 | 200 | RsFr | 4* | 3* | 1 | KJ Young | 6-0 | 177 | RsFr | 3* | 3* | ||
23 | Tyshon Dye | 5-11 | 215 | RsFr | 4* | 4* | 17 | Jordan Smallwood | 6-2 | 212 | RsFr | 3* | 3* | |||
22 | DJ Howard | 6-0 | 195 | RsSr | 3* | 3* | QB | 9 | Trevor Knight | 6-1 | 201 | RsSo | 3* | 4* | ||
14 | Cody Thomas | 6-4 | 211 | RsFr | 4* | 4* | ||||||||||
4 | Justce Hansen | 6-3 | 204 | Fr | 4* | 4* | ||||||||||
FB | 48 | Aaron Ripkowski | 6-1 | 257 | Sr | N/R | N/R | |||||||||
36 | Dimitri Flowers | 6-1 | 244 | Fr | 3* | 3* | ||||||||||
RB | 28 | Alex Ross | 6-1 | 221 | RsSo | 4* | 4* | |||||||||
or | 32 | Samaje Perine | 5-11 | 243 | Fr | 3* | 4* | |||||||||
or | 21 | Keith Ford | 5-11 | 206 | So | 5* | 4* | |||||||||
As you can see, Oklahoma is generally more talented than Clemson across the offensive line. The Sooners have turned this talent into success on the field, with 4 linemen receiving All-Big 12 honors. The Oklahoma running back corp is very deep and talented. The OLine does a great job at creating large runs for the backs to run through. With the departures of Kyrin Priester and Demarre Kitt during the season, Clemson is a bit thin at the wide receiver position.
Clemson Defense | Oklahoma Defense | |||||||||||||||
Pos. | # | Player | Hgt. | Wgt. | Yr. | Scout | Rivals | . | Pos. | # | Player | Hgt. | Wgt. | Yr. | Scout | Rivals |
DE | 93 | Corey Crawford | 6-5 | 270 | Sr | 4* | 4* | RE | 98 | Chuka Ndulue | 6-3 | 289 | RsSR | 3* | 3 | |
or | 9 | Tavaris Barnes | 6-4 | 275 | RsSr | 3* | 4* | 97 | Charles Walker | 6-2 | 296 | RsFR | 3* | 3* | ||
DT | 50 | Grady Jarrett | 6-1 | 295 | Sr | 3* | 3* | 87 | DJ Ward | 6-2 | 256 | RsFr | 4* | 4* | ||
94 | Carlos Watkins | 6-3 | 295 | RsSo | 4* | 4* | DT | 80 | Jordan Phillips | 6-6 | 334 | RsJr | 5* | 4* | ||
DT | 91 | Josh Watson | 6-4 | 290 | RsSr | 4* | 4* | 92 | Matthew Romar | 6-0 | 287 | RsFR | 3* | 3* | ||
or | 99 | Deshawn Williams | 6-1 | 295 | Sr | 3* | 3* | 94 | Torrea Peterson | 6-3 | 300 | RsSr | 4* | 3* | ||
or | 48 | DJ Reader | 6-2 | 325 | Jr | 3* | 3* | 93 | Jordan Wade | 6-4 | 314 | RsSo | 4* | 4* | ||
DE | 3 | Vic Beasley | 6-2 | 235 | RsSr | 3* | 3* | LE | 91 | Charles Tapper | 6-4 | 281 | Jr | 3* | 3* | |
90 | Shaq Lawson | 6-3 | 270 | So | 3* | 4* | 90 | Matt Dimon | 6-2 | 271 | So | 4* | 3* | |||
SAM/Nickel | 6 | Dorian O'Daniel | 6-2 | 210 | RsFr | 4* | 4* | 94 | Torrea Peterson | 6-3 | 300 | RsSr | 4* | 3* | ||
or | 12 | Korrin Wiggins | 5-11 | 190 | So | 3* | 3* | ROLB | 23 | Devante Bond | 6-1 | 236 | Jr | 3* | 3* | |
or | 44 | BJ Goodson | 6-1 | 235 | Jr | 2* | 3* | or | 82 | Ogbonnia Okoronkwo | 6-1 | 240 | RsFr | 3* | 3* | |
41 | TJ Burrell | 5-11 | 215 | RsSo | 3* | 3* | 85 | Geneo Grissom | 6-4 | 252 | RsSr | 4* | 4* | |||
11 | Travis Blanks | 6-0 | 200 | Jr | 4* | 4* | RILB | 1 | Dominique Alexander | 6-0 | 227 | So | 3* | 3* | ||
MIKE | 42 | Stephone Anthony | 6-2 | 245 | Sr | 5* | 5* | 25 | Aaron Franklin | 6-1 | 226 | RsSr | 4* | 3* | ||
52 | Kellen Jones | 6-1 | 225 | RsJr | 4* | 4* | LILB | 26 | Jordan Evans | 6-3 | 223 | So | 3* | 3* | ||
WILL | 7 | Tony Steward | 6-1 | 230 | Sr | 4* | 5* | 45 | Caleb Gastelum | 6-2 | 217 | Jr | N/R | N/R | ||
10 | Ben Boulware | 5-11 | 230 | So | 4* | 4* | LOLB | 19 | Eric Striker | 6-0 | 221 | Jr | 3* | 4* | ||
CB | 2 | Mackensie Alexander | 5-11 | 185 | RsFr | 4* | 4* | 40 | PL Lindley | 6-2 | 262 | RsJr | 3* | 3* | ||
25 | Cordrea Tankersley | 6-0 | 195 | So | 4* | 3* | CB | 15 | Zack Sanchez | 5-11 | 179 | RsSo | 3* | 3* | ||
S | 20 | Jayron Kearse | 6-4 | 205 | So | 4* | 4* | 27 | Dakota Austin | 5-11 | 164 | So | 3* | 2* | ||
18 | Jadar Johnson | 6-1 | 195 | So | 3* | 3* | 6 | Stanvon Taylor | 5-10 | 179 | So | 4* | 4* | |||
S | 27 | Robert Smith | 5-11 | 210 | Sr | 3* | 3* | SS | 10 | Quentin Hayes | 6-0 | 190 | RsSr | 3* | 3* | |
15 | TJ Green | 6-3 | 195 | So | 3* | 2* | 11 | Steven Parker | 6-1 | 197 | Fr | 4* | 4* | |||
CB | 26 | Garry Peters | 6-0 | 185 | RsSr | 3* | 4* | FS | 13 | Ahmad Thomas | 6-0 | 209 | So | 3* | 3* | |
14 | Martin Yoda Jenkins | 5-9 | 185 | RsSr | 3* | 3* | 4 | Hatari Byrd | 6-1 | 201 | So | 4* | 4* | |||
or | 11 | Steven Parker | 6-1 | 197 | Fr | 4* | 4* | |||||||||
CB | 7 | Jordan Thomas | 6-1 | 183 | Fr | 3* | 3* | |||||||||
14 | Marcus Green | 6-1 | 177 | Fr | 3* | 3* | ||||||||||
2 | Julian Wilson | 6-2 | 201 | RsSr | 3* | 3* |
Oklahoma switched to a 3-4 defense before the 2013 season, and they are quite large across the front 7. I think they are comparable to the Georgia defense. As a Clemson fan. I'm concerned about Jordan Phillips at NT going up against Ryan Norton. The losses of Geneo Grissom and Julian Wilson for the game really hurt Oklahoma. Outside of Zack Sanchez, I am not too concerned about their secondary, which is talented but relatively young. Sanchez is a ball hawk at corner so that worries me with #18 starting at QB for Clemson. Ian Boyd has a very good piece on the Oklahoma defense
I'm very excited about the Clemson defensive line going up against the Oklahoma offensive line. Clemson is far and away the best unit they've played all season. Clemson has played teams with good offensive lines (BC, FSU.) It will be interesting to see who gets the majority of the snaps at the SAM position.
Clemson ST | Oklahoma ST | |||||||||||||||
Pos. | # | Player | Hgt. | Wgt. | Yr. | Scout | Rivals | . | Pos. | # | Player | Hgt. | Wgt. | Yr | Scout | Rivals |
K | 36 | Ammon Lakip | 5-10 | 200 | Jr | 3* | 2* | K | 18 | Michael Hunnicut | 6-1 | 180 | RsSr | 2* | 2* | |
P | 92 | Bradley Pinion | 6-6 | 230 | Jr | 3* | 3* | P | 44 | Jed Barnett | 6-2 | 215 | Sr | 2* | 2* | |
KO | 92 | Bradley Pinion | 6-6 | 230 | Jr | 3* | 3* | KO | 39 | Nick Hodgson | 6-2 | 198 | RsSo | N/A | N/A | |
LS | 75 | Michael Sobeski | 6-2 | 220 | Sr | N/A | N/A | PC | 42 | Wesley Horky | 6-2 | 217 | Fr | N/A | 2* | |
H | 32 | Corbin Jenkins | 5-10 | 175 | Sr | N/A | N/A | KC | 89 | Connor Knight | 6-4 | 244 | RsSo | N/A | N/A | |
PR | 13 | Adam Humphries | 5-11 | 190 | Sr | 3* | 2* | H | 84 | Grant Bothun | 5-11 | 186 | Jr | N/A | N/A | |
KR | 15 | TJ Green | 6-3 | 195 | So | 3* | 2* | PR | 3 | Sterling Shepard | 5-10 | 195 | Jr | 4* | 4* | |
or | 5 | Germone Hopper | 6-0 | 180 | So | 4* | 4* | KR | 28 | Alex Ross | 6-1 | 221 | RsSo | 4* | 4* | |
I think this game will be a relatively low-scoring game since Cole Stoudt is starting for Clemson and on the other side the Clemson defense is the best in the country. I'm not very confident in Clemson winning and I think Oklahoma may be able to grind out a win with their run game.