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We'll compare Clemson/Wake talent levels based on officially released two-deep depth charts. Depth charts for both teams were attained DIRECTLY from the Clemson website (www.clemsontigers.com). A pdf version of this can be found there as well. I will go ahead and tell you that because of injuries and depth chart adjustments between the release of this information and game time, some items here may be a little out of place but in an effort to maintain consistency, I'll use both teams' depth charts as presented on the official website.
We should not have to tell you this, but some folks debate what to take from these articles. We expect you, the reader, to form an opinion of your own. Often we will give you our take on things, but you should independently form your own thoughts based on information out there. This article shows recruiting data for the depth chart roster as referenced above. It does not weigh experience nor does it evaluate coaching, preparation, etc... We think this is an interesting and valuable tool that is useful in overall program evaluation because there is a link between these star ratings and other metrics in both college football and the NFL.
Keep in mind as you look through this data that only players who were officially signed were given a "Star Rating". Players who were not signed could not be quantitatively assessed a recruiting rating. Such players get a "NA" rating and were not included in the averaged data. Again, all data was attained from www.Scout.com and www.Rivals.com. Players whose Scout/Rivals data was not available but were signed were assigned a "NR". We picked carefully through the data and believe all is correct. However, if we've overlooked an item we apologize in advance and ask that you point it out so that we can make the correction in our database.
The figure and first table both show an average of offensive players, defensive players, and specialist listed on the two-deep roster. The second through fourth tables show the two-deep roster used for analysis along with the recruiting ratings for each player on the roster.
This numbers you see below should be no surprise. Clemson rolled Wake in terms of recruiting. Clemson handily out-recruited the Deacons in all three areas of the game. The numbers below tell the story and really need little more discussion from yours truly.
| Team | Recruiting Service | Offense | Defense | Specialists | Overall Average |
| Clemson | Scout | 3.25 | 3.29 | 3.20 | 3.26 |
| Rivals | 3.25 | 3.54 | 3.00 | 3.33 | |
| Average | 3.25 | 3.42 | 3.10 | 3.29 | |
| Wake Forest | Scout | 2.39 | 2.55 | 2.33 | 2.44 |
| Rivals | 2.95 | 2.55 | 2.63 | 2.73 | |
| Average | 2.65 | 2.55 | 2.45 | 2.57 |
Offensive Comparison
| Clemson Offense | Wake Forest Offense | |||||||||||||||
| Pos. | # | Player | Hgt | Wgt | Cl. | Scout | Rivals | Pos. | # | Player | Hgt | Wgt | Cl. | Scout | Rivals | |
| LT | 63 | BRANDON THOMAS | 6-3 | 315 | *Gr. | 4 | 4 | LT | 73 | STEVEN CHASE | 6-6 | 315 | *Sr. | 2 | NA | |
| 78 | Eric MacLain | 6-4 | 295 | *So. | 4 | 4 | 74 | Neil Basford | 6-4 | 260 | *Jr. | 2 | 3 | |||
| LG | 68 | DAVID BEASLEY | 6-4 | 320 | *Jr. | 3 | 3 | LG | 78 | TYLER HAYWORTH | 6-4 | 310 | *Fr. | 2 | 3 | |
| 67 | Kalon Davis | 6-5 | 340 | *Jr. | 3 | 3 | 59 | Antonio Ford | 6-4 | 310 | *Jr. | 3 | 3 | |||
| C | 58 | RYAN NORTON | 6-3 | 280 | *So. | 3 | 3 | C | 51 | CORY HELMS | 6-4 | 290 | Fr. | 3 | 3 | |
| 57 | Jay Guillermo | 6-3 | 315 | *Fr. | 3 | 3 | 60 | Whit Barnes | 6-3 | 300 | *Sr. | 2 | 3 | |||
| RG | 62 | TYLER SHATLEY | 6-3 | 300 | *Gr. | 3 | 3 | RG | 75 | FRANK SOUZA | 6-4 | 310 | *Sr. | 3 | 3 | |
| 77 | Reid Webster | 6-3 | 300 | *Jr. | 3 | 3 | 65 | Josh Harris | 6-4 | 290 | Fr. | 3 | 3 | |||
| RT | 70 | GIFFORD TIMOTHY | 6-6 | 315 | *Jr. | 2 | 3 | RT | 63 | DYLAN INTEMANN | 6-5 | 310 | *So. | 3 | 3 | |
| 76 | Shaq Anthony | 6-4 | 280 | *So. | 3 | 3 | 77 | Will Smith | 6-5 | 300 | *Fr. | 2 | 3 | |||
| TE | 81 | STANTON SECKINGER | 6-4 | 230 | *So. | 2 | 3 | TE | 89 | SPENCER BISHOP | 6-2 | 240 | *Sr. | NA | NA | |
| 40 | Darrell Smith | 6-1 | 240 | *Gr. | 3 | 2 | 81 | Daniel Vogelsang | 6-3 | 245 | *Jr. | 2 | NA | |||
| or | 86 | Sam Cooper | 6-6 | 250 | *Jr. | 2 | 2 | WR | 83 | JONATHAN WILLIAMS | 6-4 | 180 | *Fr. | 3 | 3 | |
| WR | 2 | SAMMY WATKINS | 6-1 | 205 | Jr. | 5 | 5 | 12 | Tyree Harris | 6-2 | 180 | Fr. | 3 | 3 | ||
| 82 | T.J. Green | 6-3 | 195 | Fr. | 3 | 2 | QB | 10 | TANNER PRICE | 6-2 | 205 | Sr. | 2 | 3 | ||
| QB | 10 | TAJH BOYD | 6-1 | 225 | *Sr. | 5 | 4 | 6 | Patrick Thompson | 6-2 | 210 | *Jr. | 2 | NA | ||
| 18 | Cole Stoudt | 6-4 | 210 | Jr. | 3 | 3 | 4 | Tyler Cameron | 6-3 | 220 | *Fr. | 3 | 3 | |||
| RB | 25 | RODERICK McDOWELL | 5-10 | 200 | *Gr. | 3 | 4 | TB | 25 | JOSH HARRIS | 5-11 | 210 | *Sr. | 2 | 2 | |
| 24 | Zac Brooks | 6-1 | 190 | So. | 4 | 4 | 14 | Dominique Gibson | 5-10 | 205 | *Fr. | 2 | 3 | |||
| 22 | D.J. Howard | 6-0 | 195 | *Jr. | 3 | 3 | FB | 43 | JORDAN GARSIDE | 5-10 | 235 | *Jr. | NA | NA | ||
| WR | 13 | ADAM HUMPHRIES | 5-11 | 190 | Jr. | 3 | 2 | 44 | Ben Emert | 6-1 | 235 | *Jr. | 2 | 3 | ||
| 5 | Germone Hopper | 6-0 | 180 | *Fr. | 3 | 4 | FLK | 3 | MICHAEL CAMPANARO | 5-11 | 190 | *Sr. | 3 | 3 | ||
| WR | 1 | MARTAVIS BRYANT | 6-5 | 200 | Jr. | 4 | 4 | 18 | John Armstrong | 5-9 | 165 | Fr. | 2 | 3 | ||
| 7 | Mike Williams | 6-3 | 205 | Fr. | 4 | 4 | WR | 5 | ORVILLE REYNOLDS | 5-9 | 185 | Jr. | 2 | 3 | ||
| 88 | Jared Crump | 6-3 | 190 | *Fr. | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||
Defensive Comparison
| Clemson Defense | Wake Forest Defense | |||||||||||||||
| Pos. | # | Player | Hgt | Wgt | Cl. | Scout | Rivals | Pos. | # | Player | Hgt | Wgt | Cl. | Scout | Rivals | |
| DE | 93 | COREY CRAWFORD | 6-5 | 270 | Jr. | 4 | 4 | DE | 98 | ZACH THOMPSON | 6-5 | 265 | *Sr. | 3 | 3 | |
| 9 | Tavaris Barnes | 6-4 | 275 | *Jr. | 3 | 4 | 36 | Tylor Harris | 6-4 | 285 | So. | 2 | 2 | |||
| DT | 50 | GRADY JARRETT | 6-1 | 295 | Jr. | 3 | 3 | NG | 50 | NIKITA WHITLOCK | 5-11 | 250 | *Sr. | 2 | 2 | |
| 48 | D.J. Reader | 6-2 | 325 | So. | 3 | 3 | 91 | Johnny Garcia | 6-4 | 260 | *Jr. | 2 | 2 | |||
| DT | 91 | JOSH WATSON | 6-4 | 290 | *Jr. | 4 | 4 | 90 | KRISTOPHER REDDING | 6-4 | 275 | *Sr. | 2 | 2 | ||
| 99 | DeSHAWN WILLIAMS | 6-1 | 295 | Jr. | 3 | 3 | 58 | Josh Banks | 6-4 | 250 | *Fr. | 3 | 2 | |||
| 94 | Carlos Watkins | 6-3 | 295 | So. | 4 | 4 | LOU | 30 | HUNTER WILLIAMS | 6-0 | 230 | *So. | NA | NA | ||
| DE | 3 | VIC BEASLEY | 6-2 | 235 | *Jr. | 3 | 3 | 37 | Kevis Jones | 6-2 | 230 | *Fr. | 3 | 3 | ||
| 90 | Shaq Lawson | 6-3 | 270 | Fr. | 3 | 4 | MLB | 48 | BRANDON CHUBB | 6-1 | 240 | *So. | 2 | 2 | ||
| SLB | 34 | QUANDON CHRISTIAN | 6-2 | 230 | *Sr. | 3 | 3 | 28 | Teddy Matthews | 6-3 | 225 | *Fr. | 2 | 3 | ||
| 41 | T.J. Burrell | 5-11 | 215 | *Fr. | 3 | 3 | WLB | 41 | MIKE OLSON | 6-3 | 230 | *Sr. | 3 | 2 | ||
| MLB | 42 | STEPHONE ANTHONY | 6-2 | 245 | Jr. | 5 | 5 | 40 | Marquel Lee | 6-3 | 215 | Fr. | 2 | 3 | ||
| 44 | B.J. Goodson | 6-1 | 235 | *So. | 2 | 3 | ROB | 39 | JUSTIN JACKSON | 6-1 | 230 | *Sr. | 3 | 3 | ||
| WLB | 33 | SPENCER SHUEY | 6-3 | 240 | *Gr. | 3 | 3 | 49 | Lance Virgile | 6-2 | 220 | Fr. | 3 | 3 | ||
| 7 | Tony Steward | 6-1 | 230 | Jr. | 4 | 5 | CB | 7 | MERRILL NOEL | 5-10 | 180 | *Jr. | 3 | 3 | ||
| CB | 17 | BASHAUD BREELAND | 6-0 | 185 | *Jr. | 4 | 3 | 15 | Allen Ramsey II | 6-0 | 109 | So. | 3 | 3 | ||
| 26 | Garry Peters | 6-0 | 185 | *Jr. | 3 | 4 | SS | 22 | RYAN JANVION | 5-11 | 190 | *Fr. | 2 | 3 | ||
| S | 11 | TRAVIS BLANKS | 6-0 | 200 | So. | 4 | 4 | 11 | Anthony Wooding | 6-2 | 185 | Jr. | NA | NA | ||
| 12 | Korrin Wiggins | 5-11 | 190 | Fr. | 3 | 3 | FS | 17 | A.J. MARSHALL | 6-0 | 195 | Sr. | 3 | 4 | ||
| S | 27 | ROBERT SMITH | 5-11 | 210 | Jr. | 3 | 3 | 29 | Deonte Davis | 5-10 | 170 | Fr. | 2 | 2 | ||
| 30 | Taylor Watson | 5-10 | 210 | *Jr. | N/A | N/A | CB | 9 | KEVIN JOHNSON | 6-1 | 175 | *Jr. | 3 | 2 | ||
| CB | 8 | DARIUS ROBINSON | 5-10 | 175 | Sr. | 3 | 4 | 25 | Brad Watson | 6-0 | 170 | Fr. | 3 | 2 | ||
| 14 | Martin Jenkins | 5-9 | 185 | *Jr. | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||
| 30 | Taylor Watson | 5-10 | 210 | *Jr. | N/A | N/A | ||||||||||
| CB | 8 | DARIUS ROBINSON | 5-10 | 175 | Sr. | 3 | 4 | |||||||||
| 14 | Martin Jenkins | 5-9 | 185 | *Jr. | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||
Specialist Comparison
| Clemson Specialists | Wake Forest Specialists | |||||||||||||||
| Pos. | # | Player | Hgt | Wgt | Cl. | Scout | Rivals | Pos. | # | Player | Hgt | Wgt | Cl. | Scout | Rivals | |
| PK | 39 | CHANDLER CATANZARO | 6-3 | 200 | *Gr. | N/A | N/A | PK | 27 | CHAD HEDLUND | 6-1 | 185 | *So. | 2 | 2 | |
| 36 | Ammon Lakip | 5-10 | 200 | *So. | 3 | 2 | 18 | Mike Weaver | 6-1 | 180 | Fr. | 2 | NA | |||
| P | 92 | BRADLEY PINION | 6-6 | 230 | So. | 3 | 3 | P | 38 | ALEXANDER KINAL | 6-4 | 210 | *So. | NA | NA | |
| 36 | Ammon Lakip | 5-10 | 200 | *So. | 3 | 2 | 18 | Mike Weaver | 6-1 | 180 | Fr. | 2 | NA | |||
| KO | 92 | Bradley Pinion | 6-6 | 230 | So. | 3 | 3 | KO | 27 | Chad Hedlund | 6-1 | 185 | *So. | 2 | 2 | |
| 36 | Ammon Lakip | 5-10 | 200 | *So. | 3 | 2 | 18 | Mike Weaver | 6-1 | 180 | Fr. | 2 | NA | |||
| LS(PK) | 75 | Michael Sobeski | 6-2 | 220 | *Jr. | N/A | N/A | LS | 52 | Logan Feimster | 6-5 | 245 | *Jr. | 2 | NA | |
| 52 | Phillip Fajgenbaum | 6-1 | 225 | *Gr. | N/A | N/A | 60 | Whit Barnes | 6-3 | 300 | *Sr. | 2 | 3 | |||
| LS(P) | 52 | Phillip Fajgenbaum | 6-1 | 225 | *Gr. | N/A | N/A | H | 38 | Alexander Kinal | 6-4 | 210 | *So. | NA | NA | |
| 75 | Michael Sobeski | 6-2 | 220 | *Jr. | N/A | N/A | 4 | Tyler Cameron | 6-3 | 220 | *Fr. | 3 | 3 | |||
| H | 32 | Corbin Jenkins | 5-10 | 175 | *Jr. | N/A | N/A | PR | 3 | Michael Campanaro | 5-11 | 190 | *Sr. | 3 | 3 | |
| 92 | Bradley Pinion | 6-6 | 230 | So. | 3 | 3 | 9 | Kevin Johnson | 6-1 | 175 | *Jr. | 3 | 2 | |||
| PR | 13 | Adam Humphries | 5-11 | 190 | Jr. | 3 | 2 | KOR | 20 | Joshua Wilhite | 5-10 | 190 | *Fr. | 3 | 3 | |
| 2 | Sammy Watkins | 6-1 | 205 | Jr. | 5 | 5 | 18 | John Armstrong | 5-9 | 165 | Fr. | 2 | 3 | |||
| KOR | 5 | Germone Hopper | 6-0 | 180 | *Fr. | 3 | 4 | |||||||||
| & | 25 | Roderick McDowell | 5-10 | 200 | *Gr. | 3 | 4 | |||||||||