Trenton Simpson Commits to Clemson Tigers

Oh my...this just made my Christmas. Trenton Simpson (6’2.5, 225) from Mallard Creek HS in Charlotte, NC is a beast. This makes me very happy.

We have been contending here that there was a chance that Simpson could be in this class where others has written off the possibility. Brent Venables wanted Trenton in the class, but an offer wasn’t extended multiple times. Simpson was a late bloomer on the recruiting trail. He wasn’t highly regarded until junior year where UNC gave him his first offer. He caught fire afterwards and quickly rose up the rankings. He hit in the top 150 but then took another jump in the summer to number 67 overall and each month had climbed until he is now almost a consensus 5* recruit (he sits at 29 in the composite but should be a 5 star when all is said and done, ESPN ridiculously has him at #107 overall).

Simpson wanted to be a Tiger before committing to Auburn earlier in the process, which surprised many who thought UNC had the inside track. The instability at Auburn contributed to his decision to decommit and it was again thought he would join the UNC class. But he wanted that Clemson offer. In fact, he visited Clemson right after his de-commitment, but Clemson didn’t feel like they were in a position to offer at the time. This was followed by an official visit to UNC.

This is a big blow to UNC who was trying to make a splash with this recruiting class.

WHAT CLEMSON GETS (hint: A LOT)

Versatility and athleticism. He was a stat machine in high school—raking up close to a 100 tackles, sacks, rushing yards and TDs as a running back—he did it all. He is an incredible athlete who continued to get better and better through his junior and senior year.

Where he plays is going to be very interesting. He could add another ten pounds and play inside linebacker pretty easily or he could maintain his current weight and play the hybrid D’OD role( and be better in coverage). The other possibility is that he could get up to 250ish and play weakside defensive end because he is a sack machine with a great burst off the line of scrimmage. He plays sideline to sideline and can play in space. He hits very hard and has long arms that allow him to wrap up.

It doesn’t matter where he lines up—he is a special piece that makes Clemson deeper and better. He has the talent to see the field as a freshman. Venables gets another player who fulfills his childhood dream of playing for Clemson (for once the lifelong fan thing works).

Clemson heads into the final recruiting week with some serious momentum and should keep the number one overall spot when all is said and done.