Spring is here along with its 'Evaluation Period' and that means coaches are out on the road in hot pursuit of recruits. Evaluations and offers are already out for some 2014 recruits (but who am I kidding, we are all just countdown the days until kick-off-right??). To help occupy your time I'm going to be offering weekly summaries of the Clemson recruiting world until things heat up a bit heading towards fall. Oh and did I mention bullet points?
- Perhaps the biggest story this week was the statement by Dalvin Cook, 2014 Florida RB 5'11" 190 pounds, that he would commit as soon as he got an offer from Clemson. He now has an offer, extended by Brent Venables, and we will soon see if he commits. His teammate and fellow RB Joseph Yearby has already commited to the 'Noles but Dalvin is a big CJ Spiller fan and Clemson is his team. The Florida skill player pipeline initiated by CJ is still running strong (something Dabo still should receive credit for). The kid is just a Sophomore but watch his speed as he returns a kick for a TD in the FHSAA playoffs. He runs a 4.5 40 as a Sophomore.
- At the Nike Camp in Charlotte, NC Larenz Bryant, 6-0.5" 204 lbs. took MVP honors amongst the LB's and was named the top overall performer by ESPN at the camp, over Peter Kalaymbi who also excelled. They both got invitations to 'The Opening'. Bryant listed Clemson, USC (the fake one), and Georgia as his top three schools. No mention yet of Greenlee but I'm still looking...
Robert Nkemdiche, of our potential Grayson Trio, can't remember who his Clemson recruiter is in probably the best piece of journalism I have read from Tnet. Kudos to David Hood. Robert is still an Alabama lean but Ole Miss is squarely in the picture. Committed RB Gallman says he is solid and DB Kamara, who was thought to be a Clemson lock, is waiting to visit in the Summer and will make his commitment at the end of the summer. He is waiting on LSU for an offer and is contemplating Ole Miss. Hugh Freeze, head coach at Ole Miss, is a phenomenal recruiter and will keep Ole Miss in a lot of upcoming recruiting battles. We still have a shot at Nkemdiche, especially if Kamara does eventually commit, but its obviously a longshot. The longer he delays his decision the better it is for Clemson. He now says he will commit after his season is over.
4* tight end Josh McNeil cut his list to 11 and Clemson made the cut. He will be announcing July 5th at the ESPN combine 'The Opening'. WR Ryan Jenkins will also announce then. He has performed above expectations at many combines and will be visiting 'Bama soon. If they offer then we will be competing with them for his services.
'The Finisher' Brandon Kublanow (winner of the best recruit nickname this cycle) is most likely headed to Georgia. *Shocker* Our Offensive Line recruiting is not going well as we begin to 'expand the board'. We did offer two 2014 O-Lineman in Orlando Brown, OL, Suwanee (GA) Peachtree Ridge and Bentley Spain, OL, Charlotte (NC) Providence (not that this helps for 2013!).
With our Defensive Line recruiting not going as well as was anticipated for this class heading into the season, I was excited by a recent offer to a player in Hawaii. We lost our initial lead for Montravious Adams and continue to slide with Micheal Hill of Pendleton as he gains more national attention. He is visiting the Buckeyes who were his favorite team growing up. The Hawaii Moanalua player is Scott Pagano, DT 2013 6'3" 280, and he is already explosive and extremely strong. He has close to 40 offers with LSU just recently offering and securing a visit.I grew up in Hawaii and went to Kahuku High School so I have a few friends who have seen him in person. Kahuku once had more NFL players than any other high school in the country. Hawaii actually produces a lot of talent but it is usually extremely raw. Pagano's technique is in need of a lot of coaching, doesn't play well with his hands, but that makes him all the more intriguing because he has that much upside. In his tape he dominates Kahuku who regularly produces D-1 talent despite the embarrassing dirt field (Manti Te'o actually grew up down the street from me). Notre Dame has a bunch of Hawaii players on their roster and they will be a player. I bring all this up because we usually write off this kind of offer but the kid has the talent and while most Polynesian kids don't stray too far from home (usually the West coast) because of strong family ties--Pagano's father is a Navy Lieutenant and his family can move with Pagano. Plus he already has some family in Clemson who want him to come live there. Nebraska, Baylor, LSU and Clemson have all secured official visits for now. Miami, Notre Dame and possibly Alabama are in the mix (sorry for the length on this one but I am very high on this player).
- If anyone wants more information on any specific player let me know in the comments and I will do my best to find out as much as I can.
