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3-star (Scout rating, Rivals is not out yet) OLB Lateek Townsend (6'2, 210, 4.6 40) from Marlboro County HS committed to Clemson today at a Banquet in Columbia, after leaning to Clemson for quite some time. He attended the Jr. Day this weekend, after attempting to go to Columbia Saturday for a Tom Lemming Army All-American photoshoot, but announced his decision publicly this afternoon. Yesterday he said this to Korncoot, which is similar to what he said to Rivals:

"Clemson is number one...there is no number two or number three," Townsend said. "I know a lot about the school academic wise and football wise. I know more about Clemson than any other school. I haven't been to any other schools. I talked with coach Swinney and coach Steele. I had a man to man talk with coach Steele. I got to know about him. I know how the coaches are there. I got to see the players and their lifestyle. It was my first time going inside of things and seeing how they live there."

Townsend appears to be a very aggressive LB on film and shows great strength at the point of attack. He fills gaps and wraps people up. 191 tackles, 4 sacks, and 28 TFL in 2008 according to Rivals. In 2009 he registered 189 tackles, 14 sacks, and 36 TFL.

Townsend was a US Army All-American Combine First team player at LB. He'll likely be a Rivals250 player when those ratings released. He is Clemson's 8th 2011 commitment, out of a likely 20 signees. He was recruited by Kevin Steele.

Game Film

2009 assessment

Defense

DE -   Gone is Ricky Sapp. Gone is Byron Clear, though he rarely played (24 snaps in '09). I'm counting Kevin Alexander as a SAM. Kourtnei Brown was a highly-rated recruit who was down the depth chart so far that they requested he take a RS year in 2009. He'll be a RS Junior this fall. DaQuan Bowers is back to solidify one End position, and I suspect Andre Branch and M. Goodman will fight for significant playing time and one will almost certainly lock the other starting end position down. Bowers would likely leave if he has a stellar year in 2010. DE is a position where you need to bring in talent every single year, so that you arent starting young guys, but nearly everyone will get snaps. Bowers, Branch, Goodman, and Brown should be the 2-deep. Darrell Smith is a reserve coming off a RS, and Traylor will never see the field (it is possible someone is moved to TE). We trade Clear for Brown, and bring in Corey Crawford to replace Sapp along with Tavaris Barnes. I think Clemson filled the need here at DE with enough lead time.

DT - We lose no one, which is awesome. Jenkins and Thompson are probably the best inside tandem in the conference, but Jenkins will be gone in 2011 with Miguel Chavis and Jamie Cumbie. Brandon Thompson is a true junior who I suspect will get serious flirtation from the NFL. In theory we could lose all 4. Rennie Moore is another RS Jr who played lightly (198 snaps). Tyler Shatley comes off a RS year and will step into the 3rd string rotation with Moore. I thought the lack of another player brought in last year would catch up to us in 2011, but Josh Watson might be that player. He got to play and work on things at Hargrave, which is better than sitting on the bench at CU and redshirting, though he could RS in 2010 with the guys ahead of him. So I think Clemson fixed a quibble of mine with last years class and added another prospect for NG in Tra Thomas. Thomas likely redshirts. You only need 4-5 men up front and we have 6-7 to play with in 2010. Tavaris Barnes could and eventually may be moved inside depending on future recruiting. Clemson filled their need at DT, but to lose all 4 up front would be gutting next winter.

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Bryant locker room speech to incoming freshmen

Recruit - Proj. position at CU - HS - any film - vitals - rankings from Rivals and some of our thoughts after looking at their film.

Justin Parker - OLB - Beaufort HS, SC -  6'3 230, 4.65 40, 4-star OLB - Beaufort HS - #11 in SC. Shrine Bowler. Recorded 142 Tackles, 12 TFL, 2 INTs, 7 Sk, 5 FF as a Senior, 97 tackles as a junior, 65 tackles and intercepted 8 passes as a sophomore. Has excellent range and instincts, really a smart football player on the field and makes lots of plays. Has the physical makeup to play immediately at Clemson. Offered by SC, LSU, UGA, GT among others. Recruited by Dan Brooks.

D.J. Howard - RB - Lincoln HS, AL - 6'0 195lbs, 4.5 40, 3-star RB - #15 player in AL, #40 RB nationally. Runs a 10.8 200m.  A back with good foot speed and he keeps his legs moving. He plays hard and lowers that shoulder when he sees someone coming, which I love. Benches 370. Could play at Safety or RB but prefers RB. Had his offer pulled by Auburn late, likely because he visited Clemson secretly. He took a recent visit to Kentucky as well. Recruited by Andre Powell.

Garry Peters - CB - Heritage HS, Georgia -film, film 2 - 6'0 173, 4.5 40, 4-star Cornerback - #27 in GA, #20 nationally. Slated to play Corner but played a lot of WR in HS, so he is a bit raw at CB. Does appear pretty physical though, and changes directions quickly. He'll have to work on technique quite a bit, but CB is a position where a freshman can contribute earlier. Offered by Bama, FSU, UNC, Auburn. Clemson has not signed a 4-star DB from Georgia since Jeff Francoeur. Recruited by Chris Rumph.

 

Peters is a burner with legitimate 4.5 speed who has a chance to compete for playing time in Clemson’s secondary almost immediately. Because of his speed, he also could see time as a kick returner. Last year, he caught 26 passes for 361 yards and five touchdowns, rushed the ball six times for 146 yards and had nine kick returns for 217 yards.

"They told me that everybody has a fair chance to compete for a spot," he said. "I really believe that I am one of the best out there. So I am going to go in early, work my butt off, and get that job. As soon as school is over here, I am going to go to Clemson and get enrolled in classes and get going." (source)

David Beasley - OG - Carver HS, GA - film - 6'4 287, 3-star OL - #39 player in GA, #22 nationally at Guard - Twice All-State. This guy could contribute earliest of all our OL commitments. He plays to the whistle, and pushes his man all the way down the field. Big and strong and actually moves his feet well. I'm surprised he's not rated higher by the recruiting services, because I really love what I see on his film. Offered by UGA, SC, Miami, Arkansas, Ole Miss, UCLA. Recruited primarily by Charlie Harbison.

Martin Jenkins - CB - Centennial-Roswell HS, GA - film - 5'9" 170, 4.4 40, 3-star CB - #38 cornerback in the nation by ESPN.com - 10.6 100m. Offered by Syracuse. Recruited by Kevin Steele and Harbison.

Jake Nicolopulos - LB - TL Hanna HS, SC - suffered a stroke and will be on a medical hardship waiver. Does not count towards the class scholarship count as such, and will likely never play ball again.

Darius Robinson - CB -Westlake HS, GA - film 1, film 2 - 6'0 170, 4.41 40, 4-star CB - #20 in GA, #16 national CB. -Tall and skinny, with quick feet and he executes the backpedal well. I like his ball instincts from his film. Offered by Miami, Auburn, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Michigan, UCLA, Stanford, Michigan State, and Georgia Tech late. Recruited by Charlie Harbison.

Tavaris Barnes - Strongside DE/DT - First Coast HS, Jacksonville FL - film 1 - 6'5" 250, 4-star DT - #47 player in FL, #29 at his position nationally - 80 tackles with 25TFL and 9 sacks in '09. Barnes said that even though he is listed as 255 pounds right now, he is actually 238 pounds, and that the Tigers will probably let him compete for playing time at strongside defensive end next season while waiting for him to fill out more. Once that happens, he could move back inside to defensive tackle. (source) His pad level appears a little high from his film, but he really has a quick first step and is fast. He really has a motor. Clemson took his commitment from FSU earlier, but he was offered by SC, and UNC. Recruited by Jeff Scott.

Kalon Davis - OG - Chester HS, SC - film (note this film is of currently 2011 commit Tony McNeal, but Davis plays with him at LT). - Already Enrolled. - 6'5" 325lbs 3-star OL - #27 in SC and #34 at his position nationally. ...#30 offensive tackle in the nation by ESPN. 1st team All State. Davis reported to Clemson at a whopping 368lbs and will need to be down to the 320-330 range before he plays. Reportedly played soccer at one point, but as slow as he appears on film now, I think any David Bechham comparisons are over. He is big and strong though, and his older film shows that he did have some footwork. Offered by NC State, Vanderbilt, Penn State, Wake Forest, Wisconsin. Recruited by Jeff Scott.

Josh Watson - DT - Hargrave Military Academy -film - Already Enrolled. 6'3 285lb 4-star DT - Reported to Clemson at 238lbs. Plays mostly 2/3-technique DT, quick first step and shoots gaps well in his film. I'd compare him to Trey Tate, and I expect him to play this fall, though unless he puts on a fair bit of weight immediately it could be at End. Offers from Duke, UNC, BC, and FSU, though it was really a race between Duke, UNC, and Clemson. Recruited by Danny Pearman.

Vic Beasley - TE - Adairsville HS, GA - film 1,Live commitment film,film 2 - 6'5" 213, 4.47 40', 3-star Athlete - #37 player in GA, #37 athlete, #16 by ESPN -  Offered by Bama, Duke, and ECU as well. He had favored Alabama earlier in the process but when they filled up, he backed away. Clemson held off Auburn to wrap him up. Beasley has the frame to be moved to OLB, though I expect him to stay at TE at least initially due to our lack of depth.120 rushes for 828 yards and seven touchdowns as a RB.  Recruited by Billy Napier.

Bashaud Breeland - FS/SS - Allendale-Fairfax HS, SC - 6'1 190, 4.41 40' 3-star Athlete - #15 player in SC, #55 national athlete. Shrine Bowler. Played QB/OLB in HS, but he will be slated to play Safety at CU. He's alot like Joe Craig but a step slower (10.9 200m, state champ in the 400m). Appears very fast on film, takes good angles and gets around blockers, but undersized to play LB in college. Offered by Penn State, Michigan, VT, Tenn, SC. One of the state's fastest players. Recruited by Chris Rumph.

Martavis Bryant - WR - T.L. Hanna HS, SC - film - 6'4" 190, 4.4 40', 4 star WR - #10 WR and #6 player in SC, #84 in Rivals 100 - The headliner of the class with DeAndre Hopkins and Justin Parker. Rivals100 player. 43 overall player in ESPN150, and the #4 WR. Shrine Bowler. 1st team All-State. Army All-American. Tall and lanky, and will need to put on about 10-20 lbs in college, but could compete for an outside WR position immediately. He is really fast on film. He also needs to work on catching passes with just his hands, not his body. Had 47 receptions for 803 as a soph, 44 for 776 as a Junior. Offered by nearly everyone but has been solidly Clemson since February 2008, the first commit for this class. A potential academic casualty, though his coach projects him to make it. Recruited by Brad Scott and Napier.

Demont Buice - RB -film 1, film 2, film 3, film 4 - 6'2, 205, 4.5 40, 3-star RB - Gaston HS, AL - #17 in Alabama, #40 nationally at RB - Has the makeup to play OLB if needed, but would have to put on some weight. He has the frame to do it in my opinion. Broke his ankle this season in the 4th week. Had 2300 yards as a sophomore, 1600 yards and 26 TDs missing 4 games last year. 5500 yards total in HS. Finalist for Mr. Football in Alabama. Buice is a James Davis type back, has good size, vision, and breaks tackles but doesnt have elite speed. Offered by Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ole Miss. Recruited by Charlie Harbison.

Joe Craig - WR - Gaffney HS, SC -  6'0 170, 4.4 40', 3-star WR - #45 athlete and #14 player in SC. Won the state 200m. Is really raw, as I watch Gaffney every week. Played QB in 2008 for Gaffney, WR/CB and KR/PR this year. Is really explosive, but highly underutilized because of poor QB play at Gaffney. He'll require a lot of coaching to play in the slot at Clemson, and I'd expect him to redshirt. Won the state 200m with a 10.4, and ranks 3rd in Rivals athlete rankings in speed. A potential academic casualty. Recruited by Jeff Scott.

Sam Cooper - TE - 6'5" 230, 4.73 40', 2-star TE - Ensworth HS, TN - Considered a sleeper, and plays in a run-oriented offense. Offered by Michigan State and Duke. Mike Palmer was a 2-star. Recruited by Dan Brooks.

Ricky Chaney - SS - 6'2" 200, 4.45 40', 3-star OLB - Battery Creek, HS SC - #21 player in SC, #72 nationally at OLB - currently in the most jeopardy academically. Appears to have good range on film and will be moved to SS. Had interest from other schools, but no offer, likely because of the academics. Recruited by Dan Brooks, but was offered by David Blackwell initially.

Corey Crawford - Strongside DE - Carver HS, GA - film 1, film 2 - 6'5" 235, 4.76 40, 4-star DE - #30 in GA, #20 DE nationally.18 defensive end in the nation and 9th best player in Georgia by Scout.com- Offered by Auburn, Ole Miss, UGA, Florida, Florida State. He's big, strong, and fast and gets after the QB with some good technique. 72 tackles and 7 sacks as a Jr., 87 with 9 sacks as a senior.  He even shows some skills in dropping back into coverage as an OLB in Carver's 3-3 Stack defense. Clemson could move him to SAM linebacker, as I think he's going to be a Kevin Alexander type. Recruited by Charlie Harbison.

DeAndre Hopkins - WR - Daniel HS, SC- film-  6'2, 194, 4.55 40, 4-star Athlete - #12 nationally, #8 in SC, Rivals250 player (148) - been committed since early March and has not wavered. 1st team All-State. I don't think he's 195 lbs, more like 180. Finalist for Mr. Football in SC. Played both Safety and WR in HS with excellent ball skills (14 INTs as a Soph, 9 as a Jr) and can jump, but he's not lightning fast. Shrine Bowler. Offered by Michigan, SC, Tennessee. Recruited by Andre Powell and Jeff Scott.

Tra Thomas - DT - 6'1, 271, 3 star DT - Anson County HS, NC  - #28 player in NC. Offered by Michigan State, West Virginia, Duke, ECU. Shrine Bowler. Kind of an undersized guy, and will need to put on a little weight but appears really strong and uses his hands well. Will probably play on the Nose. Has two teammates as juniors who will be two of the best players in NC, one is already committed (Brandon Ellerbe) and another is a top target next year.

Gifford Timothy - OT - Middletown HS, DE - 6'6" 288lb, 3-star OT - #3 player in Delaware - A diamond in the rough player, lightly recruited, who will need good coaching. Really long arms and good athletic ability. He keeps his feet moving and plays to the whistle and plays mean. Graded out over 90%. I'm surprised he was lightly recruited considering his size and ability to move. Offered by Boise State, Utah, BYU, Maryland, Rutgers, UVA. Expects to take his Mormon mission after college. Recruited by Andre Powell and Pearman.

Reid Webster - OT - Etowah HS, GA - 6'5" 270, 3-star OT -  #51 in GA, #46 Tackle nationally - 1st team All-State. Late offers this spring by Miami, FSU, Ole Miss, NC State. I suspect he'll be at RT or Guard, though he played LT in HS. Has good knee bend with quickness and speed. Recruited by Billy Napier.

Desmond Brown - S - Cherokee County HS, AL - 6'0 192, 4.5 40, 4-star Safety - #12 player in Alabama, #24 nationally - Played RB, WR, and DB in HS. Missed part of his junior year due to a HS transfer. Was going to UT until Clemson offered. Offered by Auburn, Tennessee, Arkansas, Miss. State. I suspect that since he was not offered by Saban, his ball skills are lacking somewhat, thats usually Saban's deciding factor. From his film it doesnt seem like he is nervous with the ball in the air, and he looks like a good hitter at Free Safety. Recruited by Charlie Harbison.

 

If you saw the NSD post up already, I apologize, it was because I tested something and then my internet crapped out. SBNs autosaver F'd up too.

Scheduled Announcements:

Reid Webster: 7:00-7:30 a.m.
Martin Jenkins: 8 a.m.
Garry Peters: 8:30 a.m.
Darius Robinson: 9 a.m.
Bashaud Breeland: 9 a.m.
Keenan Allen: 9 a.m.
Zach Maynard: 9 a.m.
Nuke: 9 a.m.
Joe Craig: 9:30 a.m.
Martavis Bryant: 10 a.m.
D.J. Howard: 11 a.m.
Gifford Timothy: 11 a.m.
David Beasley: 1:30 p.m.
Corey Crawford: 1:30 p.m.
Justin Parker: 3 p.m.

We'll have a follow up bio on the whole class after Parker's announcement.

I've held off on summarizing things lately because theres relatively little hard info to talk about. A lot of this is educated guesswork based on quotes and other sites. A recruiting quiet period begins on Sunday, and a Dead Period on Feb 1. NSD is Wednesday. Phone contact is allowed during the Dead Period but in-home visits will be done by then.

• DT Ethan Farmer and OLB Darius Lipford are fully expected to sign with UNC. However, it still appears that Farmer will be placed in a JUCO or prep school.
• All of our LB eggs are in the Justin Parker basket. We appear to have lost out on Bohanna and backed off. His latest recruiting diary lists Clemson, LSU, and SC in order. Dabo has the last in-home visit this Saturday night. I think he is Clemson's to lose. Clemson should have brought in another LB in this class either way, Ricky Chaney is slated to SS and not LB.
• Carver DE Corey Crawford was re-evaluated to 4 stars by Rivals.
• Carver OG David Beasley took an official visit to UGA after saying he was done with his recruitment and telling UGA to back away. Thing is, he didnt say it to Richt/Searels' face, he does it via messages. UGA won't back off him until he does that, and he hasnt. He always says he wants to come to Clemson, but UGA was in-home with his parents while Dabo waited outside to see them next. This feels like A.J. Harmon again to me and of all our commits this feels the most shaky.
• I think UGA has done a pisspoor job in evaluating players under Richt. They always seem to come in late on a prospect, be it from late offers or lazy evaluations. They are in a supremely talent-rich state where most all the people love UGA. GT isnt a real threat to them, though Auburn/FSU are in south Georgia. UGA should have 20 commits by March almost every year. Instead they come in late and pull them away (and yes I did see this posted on TI by OF, and I 100% completely agree with it, just cant link it, apologies to him if he believes we ripped him in any way.)
• CB commit Darius Robinson took a secret visit to Auburn last weekend, against the wishes of the staff. He also took one to Kentucky that we found out about, and he didnt want our staff to know. Its my understanding that he lied about visiting them to Harbison/Swinney, and Dabo didn't like it. We threatened to pull his offer if he didn't come clean about it all, and he did. His parents wanted him to take the visits and shop around, in effect, before committing. I'm not sure I buy it all after his other quotes previously, but I'll give the benefit of the doubt. He apologized to our staff and appears to be fully committed now.
• Kind of the same thing may have happened with RB D.J. Howard, currently an Auburn commit, who took a last-second visit to CU this past weekend without telling the Auburn coaches until he was already on campus. Word is, they were quite disappointed. He may have had his offer threatened by their staff as well. If Marcus Lattimore picks Auburn, I fully expect D.J. to come to Clemson, despite his quotes to the contrary. They will have two of the best backs in the SE and he wants to play at RB in college. He would be Clemson's 2nd RB this year, and we still plan to take a couple next year.
• Clemson did offer a scholarship to Transfer QB Zach Maynard, half brother of Keenan Allen. Allen and Maynard want to play together, and after their visit to CU, they cancelled the visit to NC State. They are going to visit California this weekend. If Maynard was offered by Bama, we would likely lose out, but they have not offered him a scholarship (maybe a grayshirt) yet. Given that we're 3000 miles closer to their home, I think Clemson is in the cat bird seat here. Pulling down Allen would be a huge get for us. He would likely play in the slot WR position right away, maybe over McNeal or Marquan.
• 2011 WR Maurice Harris is the cousin of Allen/Maynard, and we could get him as well if we got even one of the two. Bama, Cal, Clemson, and UNC have all offered Harris already.

If we got all these guys to finish out, and it'll come down to NSD, we'd be definitely Top 15, and maybe Top 10.

- I'm sure everyone has heard about Weslye Saunders and his suspension in Cootville. We have heard now, from multiple sources, that there is far more to the story than has been reported. The first nugget is the most known, that he was skipping team meetings because he felt like he could go pro, and Spurrier suspended him before he declared (NFL has been late this year on providing draft prospectus to juniors).

The second, and more interesting, is the Eric Mack/Marcus Lattimore situation. Eric Mack showed up to Columbia overweight and the Cocks didn't like it. He'd already somehow fallen out of favor with their staff, and Clemson has stopped recruiting him. He went on the visit with Lattimore and was seen talking to Marcus about Auburn (where Mack suddenly committed this week). Saunders told both of them that if they knew what he knew about USC, they would go to Auburn. Voila, suspension. Mack commits to Auburn and USC pulls his offer to save face.

Now none of it directly impacts Clemson, except that Auburn has great backs in their class already. If Lattimore were to sign with them, then no way would D.J. Howard play RB at Auburn as he wishes. Clemson could get him at the last minute. However, another Dead period kicks in on Feb 1. Lattimore announces on Feb 2, and NSD is the 3rd.

- The BOT has formed a small committee, for the first time since the Ford years, to oversee and investigage the Athletic Department. To my knowledge this was created around the time of the Maryland game. There are other rumors circling TDP at that time which I have held off of and will continue to because of a lack of solid information.

- An interesting story in The State talks about our refocus into Georgia this year in recruiting, and pulling back on Florida a bit now without the Bowden nameplate. Now 7 Clemson coaches have been assigned regions in Georgia, up from 4 last year. It has paid off with 7 GA commitments, more than the last 4 years combined.

- At this point, Clemson still leads for Justin Parker. He'll take an official visit to LSU this weekend after he takes the SAT Saturday morning. Dabo has his in-home scheduled for the 30th, which is after Spurrier's.

- There are a few juniors on unofficial visits this weekend, which I won't list, but theyre all very important to the 2011 class. The staff has essentially switched focus towards the 2011 class and the first junior days are next month. I expect a couple commitments to come from those.

- As I released via Twitter earlier this week, Will Korn is considering Marshall as one of his destinations.

- Buffalo QB Zach Maynard is transferring, now that Turner Gill has left, and is in Clemson for a visit. He has 3 years to play 2, and NCAA transfer rules apply, so he would have to sit out 2010. The kicker is that he is the half-brother of 5-star Alabama commitment Keenan Allen, who once held Clemson in the mix.

Now Allen is coming on a visit to CU for this weekend. It was released by Korncoot and one other place well before the Coaches wanted it out officially, though I had heard it as early as Monday. Clemson missed out on Dexter Morant from Manning because his visit was publicized by Korncoot and UGA heard it, strong-armed him, and he never visited.

- Vic Beasley and David Beasley say they are totally done with visits.

Tonight the Tigers got their 7th verbal for 2011 in Athlete Robert Smith of Woodland HS in Fort Dorchester. He plays QB for Woodland, but will likely not play this position at Clemson. At 5'11 190 lbs, he will likely be moved to DB somewhere, likely a CB/SS if the height is accurate. He was recruited by Dan Brooks.

Clemson was the first team to offer, but he had gotten interest from UGA, SC, FSU, LSU, GT.

His first season he had 2500yds passing with 25TDs, with 700 rushing....and had 2400yds with 24 TDs with over 1000yds rushing as a 10th grader. No word on his stats from 2009. He runs a 4.6 40 (which means he might be a safety, but it will come down) and is in no danger of not making it academically.

Compare this to how Marcus Gilchrist was brought in as a HS athlete and eventually moved to defense.

An NCAA Dead Period ended Thursday, which means that no college coach could initiate contact with a player this week, but there have been some develoments within our class.

• Clemson is no longer heavily pursuing RB D.J. Howard, who was committed to Auburn. Chizik got in there, convinced him that they'll use him as a RB, and now looks like we're out of it. He's all Auburn now it appears. I would be surprised if he came for an official now. With James White committing to Wisconsin, we're done at RB for 2010.
• 2011 LB A.J. Johnson had Clemson just behind UT before Kiffykins bolted, and now we're back atop his list.
• WR Coach Jeff Scott was contacted by Lane Kiffin and offered by USC, but declined the offer it appears. His statement in response was sufficiently vague to leave him some wiggle room. We'll be publishing our evaluation of Jeff soon.
• Justin Parker put Clemson atop his list following his official visit this weekend, but don't get too excited, he changes his mind weekly. He has already taken his official visit to SC (Florida weekend I believe), and LSU is up next, but the Bayou Bengals got him to move his visit for 2 weeks from today. He'll take the SAT this weekend. Georgia Tech is slated for an official on the 29th. The decision will likely come down to the two in-home visits from Spurrier and Swinney the week of NSD. Korncoot reports that Shane Beamer is trying to coax him into another unofficial visit to SC this weekend.
• LB Darius Lipford was in Clemson for his official and enjoyed it, as did everyone over the weekend, and says he'll think about it. It appears though that he'll stick with UNC.
• OG Kalon Davis (6'5" 325) has enrolled early at Clemson, now he can get to his first task of losing weight equivalent to a 13yr old girl. I watched his film, and he is fat and sloooooooooooooooow. Thats not 325 of muscle, more like 350 of jello. He and DT Josh Watson are the only early enrollees.
• Clemson is pushing more for Ferlando Bohanna at LB from Memphis (6'0 230). He's a Miss. State commit who the Tigers offered and then basically dropped off the map for. Only MSU really pursued after that, so he committed to them. Now, Clemson should get at least a visit. 

Now for this weekend's official visitors:

• Ricky Chaney - 6'2" 200, 4.45 40', 3-star OLB - Battery Creek, HS SC - Committed to Clemson - #21 player in SC - If he gets in school academically, it'll be by the skin of his teeth. Could also play SS. NC State showed interest, but I do not believe they officially offered.
• Dexter Morant - 6'7" 240, 4.9 40', 4-star Strongside DE - Manning HS, SC - Committed to Georgia - #9 player in SC, #16 DE nationally - Been committed to UGA since July, but the firing of Willie Martinez and Jon Fabris opened the door on his recruitment. His mother was a fan of UGA. Recruited by Chris Rumph. Was highly interested in Alabama and Florida, and Bama wants him as a JACK linebacker (weakside MLB in a 3-4, which makes no sense to me, he's too big) or OLB (makes much more sense). His teammate John Fulton is committed to Bama as a Corner. 2011 DT Phillip Dukes, his teammate, is a Clemson lean. I think Clemson can turn this one.
• Joe Craig - 6'0 170, 4.4 40', 3-star WR - Gaffney HS, SC - Committed to Clemson - #38 athlete and #14 player in SC. Won the state 200m. Is really raw, as I watch Gaffney every week. Played QB last year for Gaffney, WR and KR/PR this year. Is really explosive, but underutilized because of poor QB play at Gaffney. He'll require a lot of coaching to play in the slot at Clemson, and I'd expect him to redshirt.
• David Beasley - OG - Carver HS, GA - Committed to Clemson - Being pushed heavily by UGA. Had said he was done with recruitment, but the late push by UGA has convinced his family to take an official there on Jan 22, though he says he's still set on CU. He's probably the best OL in our class, so we can't afford to lose him. Teammate Corey Crawford is a CU commit. Offered by UGA, Miami, Arkansas, Ole Miss, UCLA.
• Martavis Bryant - 6'4" 190, 4.4 40', 4 star WR - T.L. Hanna HS, SC - Committed to Clemson - #5 WR and #6 player in SC - The headliner of the class with DeAndre Hopkins. Rivals100 player. Tall and lanky, and will need to put on about 10-20 lbs in college, but could compete for an outside WR position immediately. Offered by nearly everyone but has been solidly Clemson since February.
• Vic Beasley - 6'5" 213, 4.47 40', 3-star TE - Adairsville HS, GA - Committed to Clemson - #32 player in GA, #30 athlete - Probably the softest of Clemson's commits, saying he's "90% Clemson". Billy Napier's dad is his HS off coord., and his dad played for Auburn, who are pushing heavily for his services. Could take an official there next weekend. Offered by Bama, Duke, and ECU as well. He had favored Alabama earlier in the process but when they filled up, he backed away. Honestly I think Napier dropped the ball earlier with his recruitment, as he has commented several times after the late summer dead period that he hadn't heard at all from Clemson, but this has changed since then.
• Sam Cooper - 6'5" 230, 4.73 40', 2-star TE - Ensworth HS, TN - Committed to Clemson - Considered a sleeper, and plays in a run-oriented offense. Offered by Michigan State and Duke. Mike Palmer was a 2-star.
• Ethan Farmer - 6'2" 257, 4.85 40', 4-star TE - South Columbus HS, NC - Uncommitted but UNC lean- Rated as a #12 TE nationally, but will play DT in college. Has grade problems, and seems to be a JUCO or Prep school placement. Being recruited by Dan Brooks. Offered by Bama, UNC, Tenn, VT, Penn State, NC State. If NC gets him in academically but we don't, somebody should be decapitated.