Shakin The Southland - All Posts

Evaluating the 2013 Atlantic Division Recruiting Classes

2013-05-20T11:00:06Z

We like to at least give some attention to recruiting statistics and simply present the information with some commentary. Today, we’ll look at 2013 recruiting items around the ACC Atlantic. I’ll begin by pointing out that these are simply numbers and the "star rating" is the evaluation of the so-called experts. All data were taken directly from either www.rivals.com or www.scout.com. Take these opinions/ratings as you will…they are the only method for us to quantitatively evaluate classes and individuals across a wide-array of teams and regions. As always, we encourage you to go out and research players’ and teams’ video to develop opinions of your own. Let us know your opinion on how the quantitative data compares to the qualitative observations you make in your research.

We’ll first look at class size. Obviously, class size is a function of recruiting strategy, roster management, and circumstances surrounding players prior to/after their arrivals on campus. Gray/Red-shirting, qualification status, player dismissal, available talent, team needs, and more drive class size and drive these numbers. I won’t get into the in’s and out’s of roster management here but rest assured we have and will continue to comment on this area because it is an extremely important aspect of building a solid program.

In 2013, the signee numbers broke down as follows:

You’ll notice all teams in the division sans 'Cuse and BC signed 22 or more this cycle. Wake's 25 led the Division with Clemson and NCST both signing 23 players.

The other side of the class evaluation coin is player quality. As stated before, the most objective method of evaluating incoming talent we could identify was looking to the national analysts for guidance. This methodology has its flaws but we chose to use it as our starting point. Here is how, on an average star per player basis, the professionals have these classes.

What we see out of the Atlantic Division should be no surprise. Clemson and FSU were the clear stars per player leaders of the pack and the only two teams to average 3+ stars per player. Florida State pulled nearly a 3.5 star per player average--approximately 0.16 stars per player better than Clemson. Maryland and NCST were the only two other squads to sniff the 2-3/4 star per player mark with UMd pulling in a respectable 2.86 stars per player average.

Looking at pure data, FSU had this cycle's best overall class. Clemson was next followed by Maryland's 2013 pull. Based on past performances on both the recruiting trail and on the football field, this end conclusion is not very shocking. Without some major shakeup or change, I suspect this will be the case some time in the near future.

Tigers Fall to Noles, Get #5 Seed in ACC Tourney

2013-05-19T16:25:49Z

Clemson finished in third place in the ACC Atlantic division and fifth place in the overall ACC standings with an 18-12 league mark. Clemson will be the #5 seed in the ACC Tournament at Durham (NC) Bulls Athletic Park. The Tigers will play one game each against #4-seeded N.C. State, #1-seeded North Carolina, and #8-seeded Miami (FL) in that order in the ACC Tournament, which starts on Wednesday. The winner of Clemson's bracket will advance to the ACC Tournament Championship game on May 25.

Thursday - Clemson 8-2

Clemson won their 9th in a row by jumping on FSU for 6 runs in the first 4 innings combined with a solid starting performance by Goose to win the first game in the series.

Wilkerson opened up the scoring in the first inning with a solo shot to right-center, which was the first HR given up by Seminole starter Peter Miller (L, 6-2). In the 2nd, McGibbon reached on an infield single, Brittle was HBP, and Slaton slapped a double to RF to make it 2-0. After Miller walked Maleeke Gibson he was pulled, but Wilkerson struck out looking and Duggar grounded to 2nd to end the inning.

In the 3rd, Clemson put up 3 more runs to make it 5-0. Garrett Boulware led off with a walk and Kennedy reached 2nd on a poor throw from LF on a single, putting men at 2nd and 3rd. Krieger scored Boulware with a grounder to short and Brittle later hit a long one to left-center that was poorly played again and Tom ended up with an inside-the-park 2-run HR. No errors were called in the inning by the scorer.

The Tigers put up a single run in the 4th and 2 more in the 6th, while FSU could only muster 2 in the 7th of of Kyle Schnell.

Goose (W, 9-3) went 6, giving up 3 hits, while walking 3 Noles. Campbell pitched two hitless innings to end the game.

Wilkerson and Duggar both went 2-for-5 with 2 runs scored each. Shane Kennedy also went 2-for-5 and McGibbon 2-for-4.

Friday - FSU 2-1

A classic pitching duel between Luke Weaver and the combo of Crownover and Schmidt, and we only had one bad inning.

Crownover had a shaky first that was the difference in the game. Brett Knief led off with a single and Stewart a double. Crownover hit McGee and Marcus Davis singled home both RISP. It was the first time Matthew gave up runs in the first and this was the game. He got the next 3 batters out, and he was very solid the rest of the way.

However he was pulled in the 5th after a little tightness in the throwing elbow. As soon as he threw the pitch he could be seen shaking the arm, and they pulled him immediately for Schmidt. Clate surprisingly did very well against the Seminole lineup, giving up not a single hit the rest of the game. Hopefully this builds his confidence and we can count on him to start in the Tournaments.

Clemson could do little with Luke Weaver. We had men on in most innings but could not get any thing with runners on base. The most disappointing thing was the number of called 3rd strikes, Clemson hitters did not protect the plate at all with 2 strikes.

Wilkerson was the only player in the game with multiple hits, as he went 3-for-4 with a steal. Kennedy added two walks, but his 11-game hitting streak came to an end. Clemson outhit Florida State 7-5 and had two more batters reach base than the Seminoles.

Saturday - FSU 6-1

At the plate, more of the same. Clemson put 16 men on base in the game and couldn't get anyone home after the first inning, leaving 10 men in scoring position.

Clemson starter Zack Erwin didn't have it today. In 2 IP, he gave up 6 hits and 3 runs, one of which scored on a double given up by Jon Meyer in relief in the 3rd. Patrick Andrews was roughed up in the 6th and Campbell couldn't get by without giving up another.

Nole starter Brandon Leibrandt went 5, giving up 9 hits and 2 walks but only the single run for his 9th win.

Clemson left the bases juiced in the 4th and 6th, and 2 men on in the 9th. Everything we hit with men on was a weak grounder or right at someone.

May 19 Sunday Thoughts

2013-05-19T12:23:24Z

As all of you know by now, Clemson baseball has completed its regular season. The Tigers were able to mature over the course of the year to heat up down the stretch. In fact, Clemson held its own destiny in the Division heading into the Thursday-Saturday weekend series down in Tallahassee--needing to sweep the series to win the Atlantic on its own or win 2/3 and get some help from the Wolfpack who played Duke. As everyone witnessed, it did not go well for the Tigers. After a big win on Thursday, the bats went away Friday then Clemson left a ton of runners on bas in the Saturday afternoon finale. To top it all off, NCST was able to sweep its series (thanks to a Friday Duke collapse), so Clemson would have needed a sweep to win the Division. When it is all said and done, FSU wins the Atlantic again and definitely deserved it following series wins over NCST and CU. Hopefully Clemson will get over this loss and will move forward. This series had a lot of promise but Clemson could not get the bats going Friday and even worse pissed away their chances Saturday. The Tigers will gear up for conference tournament play this week and await a Regional selection from the committee soon after.

Clemson golf started the Tempe Regional well in fourth place following the opening round. The Tigers, however, struggled on Day 2 and fell way off the pace down to 12th spot entering Saturday's final round. Billy Kinnerly extended his streak of rounds in the 60's on Friday to four, carding a 69 for the second round. The rest of the team was, well, not so good and finished a combined +15 leaving Clemson in a very tough situation. Kinnerly again shot a 69 on Saturday--easily the best of the team. The Tigers finished in 12th place and are done for the year following that performance.

This was a tough week for a couple of sports legends from the track to the fairway. Legendary golfer and CBS announcer Ken Venturi passed away at the age of 82. Venturi won 14 Tour events including the 1964 US Open. In that Open at Congressional--which featured 36 holes on Saturday afternoon to decide the winner--Venturi was advised by doctors not to play his second Saturday round as he was severely dehydrated and many had concern that he would have a heat stroke on the course. Venturi paid no attention and pressed on--nearly passing out on the course and having hallucinations at the end of his final round. Nonetheless, KV pressed on and carded a 70 to win the Championship by four strokes. You'll also recall Venturi nearly won the Masters on several occasions--once as an amateur. Most, though, will recall his work on CBS commentating the game--a position he held following his retirement from full time play on the Tour in '67 until 2002. Thanks for the excellent work with CBD, Ken.

In the spirit of Venturi and amateur golf, I will recommend Mark Frost's The Match. This book details a bet and a golf match between two amateurs (Venturi and Harvey Ward) against two of golf's greatest legends (Hogan and Nelson).

Short-track star and former NASCAR/ESPN-Sportscenter favorite Dick Trickle passed away from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at age 71. Trickle is noted as the most successful short-track driver ever, winning many, many events across his home state of Wisconsin prior to becoming a national name through various touring circuits. He was the Winston Cup Rookie of the Year back in '89 at the ripe young age of 48. Some of you will remember that NASCAR allowed him to smoke cigarettes from his stock car during caution laps and, accordingly, Trickle modified his helmet and installed a cigarette lighter in his sled for that purpose. ESPN famously caught him taking drags at Dega back in the early '90's.

RIP Mr. Trickle.

In one final note, I finally got a dog, urrrrrr, the wife rescued a dog for us. After playing with the dog it was apparent that he was cool as a cucumber and could probably hit a golf ball 300+. Since the names Danny and Dale are reserved for my children, the naming choice was easy...Fred. Fred is as smooth as his namesake, Freddy Couples, and an overall general badass. So far, Fred enjoys watching golf, eating, and just being chill. We'll see if Fred can finally convince me to keep my head down, eyes on the golf ball, and swing easy.

Clemson heads to FSU to decide Atlantic

2013-05-16T16:21:08Z

#9 FSU (42-10, 18-9 ACC) vs. #19 Clemson Tigers (38-15, 17-10 ACC)

I had hoped, and it was wishful thinking in the preseason, that the Atlantic title would come down to this series. Not that it really means much since we'll be going to a Tournament next and then Regionals, but it would be great for this team to continue overachieving and win this tough division crown. I know they aren't scared of Florida State because this Mike Martin team isn't as talented at the plate as some previous ones we've beaten. Under Leggett, the Tigers are 29-35 against a top-10 Seminole squad.

That said, its at FSU, and the home team usually wins this series.The Seminoles hold a 35-15-1 lead over the Tigers in games played at Florida State, while Clemson leads 33-30 in ACC regular-season games. The Seminoles are 39-0 when scoring at least four runs and have won 11 of their last 12 games, are 30-2 at home in 2013. The Tigers have won nine of the last 13 games in the series. We should be ecstatic if Clemson wins this series. I'd be OK with winning at least 1 of the 3, which would keep us in it for a regional hosting site.

Florida State will win the division if it wins at least two games. Clemson will win the division if it sweeps its series. The Tigers will also win the division if they win exactly two games and N.C. State loses at least one game. In that case, Clemson and Florida State will tie for the division title, but the Tigers will win the tiebreaker and be the #2 seed in the ACC Tournament. N.C. State will win the division if it sweeps its series and Clemson wins exactly two games.

Clemson AD Series Preview -- FSU AD series preview

SEBaseball projects both Clemson and FSU to host regionals.

Thursday's game will be available via webcast on ESPN3, while the games on Friday and Saturday will be televised by ESPNU.

Clemson and Florida State have met 125 times, with the Seminoles holding a 66-58-1 lead in the series dating to the 1958 season. The Tigers have won eight of the last 11 games in the series after Florida State won five of the previous six meetings.

Last Week:

FSU took 2 of 3 against NC State in Raleigh by scores of 12-3, 8-4, and 1-3. They did not have a midweek series this week.

Clemson swept the week of play with wins over Ga southern and Furman, after a DH against Maryland last Monday. Clemson took the NC State series earlier this year at home.

Weekend Starters:

Thursday, 6pm:

Throws	Player	Rec	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	BB	Ks
RHP	Peter Miller	6-1	3.04	53.1	51	22	18	18	43
RHP	Daniel Gossett	8-3	2.36	80.0	65	32	21	28	80

Friday, 8pm:

Throws	Player	Rec	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	BB	Ks
RHP	Luke Weaver	5-2	2.17	70.2	55	18	17	14	83
LHP	Matt Crownover	7-1	1.90	61.2	54	15	13	16	39

Saturday, 3pm:

Throws	Player	Rec	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	BB	Ks
LHP	Brandon Leibrandt	8-4	3.41	74.0	66	34	28	25	69
LHP	Zack Erwin	5-0	2.88	50.0	38	19	16	17	26

Hitting Comparison

Team Batting Statistics
	BA	SLG	OBP	R/9	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	HBP	SB-ATT	FLD.
Clemson	.282	.365	.366	5.8	74	14	16	270	229	26	94/129	.971
FSU	.291	.431	.417	7.0	121	14	29	328	300	83	37/62	.965

Gibson did well last week in his return to the starting role and leadoff spot. Unless Slaton has an injury I don't recall, he should still get Gibson's ABs. He's been too solid a hitter. I would then push Costigan back to DH'ing and Slaton/Gibson in LF. Mike Triller needed the ABs he got this week but its too little too late. I wouldn't be surprised if Jack rolls Baum out to 3rd base and lets Kennedy DH either.

Clemson Prospective Lineup
Pos	Player	BA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB
DH	Maleeke Gibson	.238	16	19	2	0	14	4
2B	Steve Wilkerson	.310	31	57	16	1	31	27
RF	Steven Duggar	.287	35	60	7	2	25	23
C	Garrett Boulware	.311	40	60	7	7	43	18
3B	Shane Kennedy	.326	41	59	5	4	30	34
1B	Jon McGibbon	.270	30	50	5	0	37	20
SS	Tyler Krieger	.280	27	52	9	0	25	23
CF	Thomas Brittle	.287	38	50	5	1	24	24
LF	Mike Triller	.350	3	7	3	0	5	2

FSU Prospective Lineup
Pos	Player	BA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB
CF	Brett Knief	.304	11	21	4	0	8	12
LF	DJ Stewart	.328	38	58	20	4	49	30
C	Stephen McGee	.299	43	50	15	8	45	45
DH	Marcus Davis	.314	52	60	17	9	49	23
1B	John Nogowski	.289	30	37	9	0	27	21
RF	Jameis Winston	.293	21	27	7	0	9	19
3B	Jose Brizuela	.328	31	58	12	3	39	31
2B	John Sansone	.252	31	39	8	2	30	29
SS	Giovany Alfonzo	.236	24	38	4	0	22	24

Team Pitching

Team Pitching Statistics
	ERA	W-L	SHO/CBO	Saves	IP	H	R	ER	BB	Ks
Clemson	2.94	38-15	8/7	14	481.0	472	211	157	168	348
FSU	2.66	42-10	5/5	11	460.0	402	186	136	156	410

Both bullpens have been pretty stout, as has the starting pitching. The closer is Robby Coles (1.20 ERA, 8 SV, in 30IP) and Winston, Gage Smith, Billy Strode and Bryant Holtmann have all been excellent in middle relief appearances. Only Holtmann has an ERA over 3.00 of the group. Smith is a go-to guy in middle innings.

I didn't believe we'd stretch the pen so well last week, but they all had good outings. Andrews' ERA has dropped to 2.25 in 28 IP, and only 1 has an ERA over 4.00, Clate Schmidt (5.26 in 49.2IP after demotion from the starting spot.

I don't see either team having an easy go in late innings, whomever builds the early lead will probably win the series.

Tigers Sweep The Week

2013-05-13T19:00:06Z

Clemson had a cupcake week that would test their pitching depth and came out on top all the way around, winning by scores of 14-2, 12-2, 7-1, 7-0, and 11-6 over Furman and Georgia Southern. Including Monday's DH against Maryland, it was the first 7 game week since 1996 that we swept, by a combined score of 63-18 and a .349 average. Shane Kennedy (12-for-24, 3B, HR, 10 R, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 5 SB) led the Clemson offense on the week. Wilkerson went 11-for-24, McGibbon 10-for-22, and Brittle 8-for-19 on the week as well. The Tiger pitching staff had a 1.57 ERA and .220 opponents' batting average on the week. I was in Tigertown this weekend and even though we faced weak competition, we do look like a quality baseball team all around.

Clemson has faced the #14 SOS thus far, with an RPI rating this morning of #12. We're 7-8 against the Top 25 and 15-12 against the RPI top 50. I think a regional hosting is locked up for us, and if we come through that on top we'll put in a bid for the Super Regional hosting and we may get it. SEBaseball currently projects Clemson to host the Regionals with Minnesota, Stanford, and Mercer.

The last test before the ACC Tournament is hosting Florida State next weekend at Tiger Field, where the home team usually does very well. If we win 2 of that series we're hosting.

Wednesday - Clemson 12-2 and 14-2 over Furman at Fluor Field

In Game 1, Koerner went 6, allowing just 1 hit, but walked 6 Paladins to get his first win of the season. Wilkerson, Kennedy, and Brittle all had three hits apiece to lead Clemson's 14-hit attack. Wilkerson went 3-for-4 with a double, triple, four RBIs, and two walks. Brittle went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBIs, three runs, and two steals.

Jonathan Meyer started the 2nd game, but lasted 4 2/3 innings, allowing 9 hits but only 2 runs before being pulled for Schnell. Both of the runs allowed were in part due to bad defense in the 4th. He and Campana (finally getting some innings this week) shut down the Paladins over the next 4 innings. McGibbon went 4-for-4 with 3 RBIs while Gibson, Wilkerson, and Duggar added two hits apiece for the Tigers, who totaled 14 hits and seven steals in the contest. It capped an outstanding day for the Clemson offense, who amassed 26 runs, 28 hits, 18 walks, three hit-by-pitches, and 12 steals in the doubleheader.

Friday - Clemson 7-1 over Ga. Southern

Goose (8-3) shut down GSU from the start, and just had to coast to win. Over 7.1 innings, he allowed only 2 hits, the 1 run, and struck out 12. Campbell and Bates finished the game after that.

In the 1st, Maleeke Gibson, who led off the weekend's games, worked a walk and stole 2nd. Garrett Boulware laced a single to plate him and give us a 1-0 lead.

Clemson added 3 more runs in the 4th. Kennedy got on with a walk and a timely hit-&-run with McGibbon got him to 3rd, Krieger grounded to 1st and they couldn't get him out on the 3-6-3, but Kennedy scored. Brittle then walked and Mike Triller doubled to score them both, giving us a 4-0 lead. That was all Goose needed.

Boulware and Triller both went 2-for-3 with two RBIs to lead Clemson, who outhit Georgia Southern 9-3. Kennedy went 2-for-2 with a triple and two walks as well.

Saturday - Clemson 7-0

Crownover (7-1) cruised through 7 innings until reaching his pitch limit, allowing just 3 hits and striking out 8. He looks as composed on the mound as a senior and his command was stellar. Had he not had Tommy John surgery he would've finished this game. Andrews and Campana finished the game.

Clemson scored single runs in each of the first 3 innings, but could've blown this game open if we had just had one timely 2-out hit. In the first, Gibson, WIlkerson and Duggar all reached, but Boulware grounded into a DP and we registered just 1 run. In the 2nd, we loaded them again with no outs, and again just a single run. We had two more on in the 3rd and only a single run. Thankfully we finally blew it open with a 4-run 7th.

Duggar paced Clemson's 12-hit attack by going 3-for-4 with a run. Boulware went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs, while Kennedy and Krieger added two hits apiece.

Sunday - Clemson 11-6

Zack Erwin got the start and his 5th win. He allowed six hits and three runs with one strikeout in 5 innings.

Clemson scored 5 in the 2nd. Boulware led off with a single and Kennedy reached on a bunt. After Krieger bunted them both up, McGibbon walked and Brittle singled to score Boulware. Slaton plated another with a groundout to 2nd, and freshman Maleeke Gibson doubled to score 2 more. Wilkerson doubled to score Gibson to end it.

Gibson, Duggar, Boulware, Krieger, and Brittle all had two hits apiece to pace Clemson's 14-hit attack. Gibson, Wilkerson, and Boulware added two runs apiece, while Gibson and Krieger totaled two RBIs apiece.

Monday News and Notes: Officially Summer

2013-05-13T11:00:06Z

This year's seniors have finally graduated and Clemson is now in the full throes of summer. Summer classes will be starting up and we are finally winding down the spring sports seasons. We don't often cover Clemson athletics outside of the big 3, but there was plenty of good news over the past few weeks.

To start things off, Clemson rowing has finished 2nd in the ACC Championships that were hosted at Clemson this year. The women's team is ranked 16th in the NCAA, and finished behind Virginia who won their 4th straight conference title.

In tennis, the men's team suffered a heartbreaking loss to Tennessee while the women's team is moving on to the Sweet 16. The final stage of the women's tournament will start Thursday in Urbana, Illinois. As for the men, it was a devastating loss that came after a fantastic season. The men's team has been down in recent season but this year was a step back to the top of the ACC.

The Houston Texans held their rookie mini-camp over the weekend, and DeAndre Hopkins was fantastic. Though the camp didn't involve any of the veterans, it is good to see Hopkins impressing the coaches. Look for him to make an impact in Week 1.

The women's soccer team has had some rough years recently, but they have some good news on the recruiting front as a combination of US and Canadian international players has led to a top-10 recruiting class. These are the types of classes that should be expected from coach Eddie Radwanski in the coming years. A few more of these and the women's team could easily become an ACC power.

On the men's side, coach Mike Noonan is excited to finally have most of the debris cleared out of the soccer team. Noonan arrived at Clemson when the program was quite simply a mess, and has slowly but surely been trying to return it to the heights of the 1980's. Though the ACC is known for being a soccer power, Clemson can and should be competitive in the sport.

2013 Mother's Day Sunday Thoughts

2013-05-12T15:37:28Z

First and foremost, we'll give a shoutout to all the Moms out there . Enjoy the day, you've definitely earned it.

In terms of our Tigers, Clemson was able to win last weekend's series against UMd, took both games of the Furman doubleheader mid-week, and now can sweep with Ga Southern with a victory this afternoon. The Tigers have a mid-week game against USC Spartanburg on Wednesday before heading down to Tallahassee to cap the ACC regular season against the 'Noles. As you all are likely aware, Clemson, NCST and FSU are in a log-jam at the top of the Atlantic Division rankings. Any of these three teams could conceivably take the division. After the Wolfpack's victory over Florida State yesterday, NCST currently leads the division by one game in the loss column against the 'Noles and two over Clemson. For those interested, the FSU/NCST game is on ESPN3 this afternoon and the series finale will be televised on ESPNU tomorrow night.

Other sports are getting close to concluding their seasons. Included are the Clemson Golfers. The Tigers head out to Tempe this week to participate in Regional play as the #5 seed in the field. Clemson has had a down year compared to previous campaigns but can change that perception with a strong performance in post-season play. We'll see if Penley and that crew can extend this season with a strong effort out in the desert.

This week's big golf news clearly centers around the Tour's unofficial fifth major...The Players (Championship) down at TPC Sawgrass. Sergio, David Lingmerth, and Woods all sit atop the leaderboard at 11 strokes under par. If you have been living under a rock for the last decade or so, I'll break this down very simply--Tiger and Garcia do not get along well. I am not sure why Sergio is crying and moaning about Tiger removing a club from his bag and the crowd responding. How is this Woods' problem? Maybe there is a reason Sergio has choked away many opportunities to move into golf's immortality by winning a major (though I will point out that Garcia has won down at Ponte Vedra before). The crowd noise wasn't deafening. You are a freaking professional golfer. You should be able to deal with slight murmurings--though not ideal--because you are a pro. Although I do not encourage foolishness on the golf course (this includes talking after another player has addressed the ball). However, complaining to the media after a round is childish. Deal with it and move on.

Sergio is lucky today because I can guaran-damn-te you that Garcia did not want to be paired with Tiger in the final round of this tournament. Playing behind Tiger and the circus-like atmosphere associated with Woods' galleries with a Tour rookie should play more to Garcia's favor. This should be an interesting afternoon of golf though it would be much more entertaining if Woods/Garcia were paired together in the final group.

For those of you who have never been down to Sawgrass, I highly encourage you to get down there if you ever have the opportunity. The tournament is awesome and facilities superb. The course was designed for spectators watching tournament golf with hills strategically placed to allow great viewing locations all over the course. 17 is the hole everyone talks about and the crowd and atmosphere there during the tournament is nothing short of party-like. If you ever get the opportunity to play the Stadium Course, be sure to bring along extra golf balls and spend plenty of time in the sand at the practice range. The course is very, very narrow with sand traps and water hazards all over the place. The precision with which the pro's get around that track is amazing and really makes you respect the skill and talent of these guys. When watching the tournament this afternoon, keep in mind how difficult this course really is and how good the professionals really are.

The NASCAR boys were in Darlington yesterday for the Southern 500. I am still a little miffed that NASCAR reduced the number of races from two to one and took away the traditional Labor Day weekend spot for the fall race. I do understand that economic factors drove these decisions and, all in all, do think that the decision for NASCAR to host a race on Mother's Day weekend and give this Saturday event to Darlington was a good decision. I guess I should just be happy that NASCAR didn't pull all racing from the Lady in Black to favor some cookie-cutter track near a big(ger) city. That seems to be the path the France Family has taken over the past decade or so.

As for the racing, it was exciting as usual with Matt Kenseth pulling out the big victory. Kasey Kahne got a late-race Darlington Stripe and Kyle Busch just couldn't hang on when it counted in this big event. Jeff Gordon (3), Jimmy Johnson (4), and Jr. (9) were all able to log Top-10 finishes.

I will point out, though, that with this Chase format (that I have complained about over and over again), several of NASCAR's most iconic tracks play a lesser factor in the eventual championship. With this race being in May and the second Daytona race held around July 4 every year, neither plays a huge role in the end playoff system. Then again, isn't everyone happy with the unique Chicago and Kansas speedways playing a critical role in determining a champion and not places like Darlington, Daytona, and Bristol? It should be no surprise that fewer people seem to care about stock car racing. In the name of television and in an effort to generate more $$$, the powers that be have removed a lot of what made NASCAR the big spectacle it became. In the end, this cannot be overall good for the sport.

Milan Richard Commits

2013-05-09T03:29:30Z

Milan Richard decided that he already knew where he wanted to go and decided not to wait any longer. This ends our Tight End recruiting for this cycle. Richard is the nephew of the great Herschel Walker, and both of his parents attended Georgia, so this is really a steal. Clemson finished second for Walker's services one upon a time, so this is even sweeter. Richard was always on the top of the board, but it was a first-come, first-serve-type deal with he and Jeb Blazevitch. You all know I love Jeb, but one of the advantages to having Richard commit is the connections he has within the state of Georgia. He is good friends with DeShaun Watson, WR Kitt, and also LB Raekwon McMillan.

We talked early on about how this core group of Georgia players had a rapport and wanted to play together. Grabbing solid commits from these two only increases the likelihood of landing (and keeping) the others. With the announcement of Kitt coming early next month, this will send a ripple through the recruiting world that Clemson is legit again this cycle. Obviously the dates on Kitt and Richard were orchestrated by the staff, another good move to build momentum. But don't you love it when a recruit just calls it a day and says, "hey, why wait--I want to be Tiger?" I don't see him wavering on his commitment at all. He wanted to be his own man and he made this decision. You have to like that in the age of modern recruiting.

What do we know about Richard? He is an athletic freak at 6'3 230-235 (almost 6'4 actually). He will grow to be a 250lb type player easily in college. He has very good speed and can beat people down the seam. A match-up nightmare for Linebackers and even Safeties. He is only 6'3 but is very long so height will not be a problem, compared to a player like Kevin Crosby who just doesn't have the length to play the position long-term. Crosby will most likely end up at South Carolina (maybe North Carolina) and will most likely end up at LB despite what anyone promises. He has NFL potential as a Linebacker. Florida and Bama only wanted him as a LB.

Richard is an obvious comparison to Dwayne Allen, who Clemson also stole at the last minute from Georgia. Richard is a similar athlete, needs to continue to improve footwork and he is perhaps not as strong in the lower body at this point but Milan has excellent hands. He will most likely play the 3 for Chad because he can both run and catch and block--he will be a very versatile weapon. He shouldn't have a problem adjusting to blocking on the line in college either. Richard had his choice of schools to attend and could have gone anywhere. Tight end is not a deep position in recruiting this year, so this is a big get.

Jeff Scott deserves a ton of credit as the recruiter of record. He was consistent for over a year, keeping on Milan and the family. Chad Morris and even ol Danny Pearman assisted on the recruiting, but Dabo also played a big role here in winning over the family and eventually pulling in his commitment.

We already have Cannon Smith committed (although almost everyone projects him to play on the offensive line at Clemson). He is still deciding whether or not to visit Alabama who say they want him as a true tight end. Smith is a similar situation to Eric McClain who, it should be noted, is coming off a terrific spring and will provide us with some quality depth at tackle and at guard if needed. I wouldn't be surprised to see him push for time at either LT or RT this year.

Overall this is a great pick-up and helps build a solid foundation for 2014 to continue to build on.