Dietrick Pennington Commits to Clemson Tigers

Dietrick Pennington (6’5, 325) from Cordova, TN at Evangelical Christian HS is the 15th commitment in the class and the third offensive line commit. What a news day for Clemson!

I said early in the recruiting season that Pennington was a name to watch (I’m very surprised things escalated this quickly and I didn’t have this write up done like I normally do). Clemson coaches really loved Pennington and wanted to find a way to get him into the class. Clemson’s need this cycle on the offensive line was at the Tackle position, so once Tate and Linthicum were in the fold, the focus was rightly on high end Tackles. As those names have come off the board or Clemson’s standing has dropped somewhat—this was the correct next move.

I absolutely love Pennington as a player. He gives you a Guard/Tackle combo with scheme versatility. He could stay at Guard with his big body, but could also stick at RT. Think of the versatility of a player like Brandon Thomas or Jordan McFadden. Pennington is a bigger, thicker body, however, but he has the athleticism to play offense and defense for his high school team. Carries his body weight really well despite his imposing size. Love his feet and short space agility. He is going to need to learn advanced technique if he moves to Tackle but the talent is evident.

Recruiting services that have him as a 3* just aren’t paying attention. He is ranked as the number 208 overall in the composite, but 247 has him at 131. I definitely see him as a top 150 player with the chance to jump into the top 100 as he continues to focus on perfecting his craft on offense.

Clemson goes into Tennessee, once again, and grabs another talent. Lemanski Hall served as the early lead recruiter, but Pennington camped at Clemson for a full three day Dabo Swinney Camp. He worked out as a Tackle at the camp, which convinced Clemson he has the desired versatility the love to play guard and tackle. LSU was Dietrick’s top offer and challenge to Clemson. Tennessee wanted him and so did Florida State and Auburn. Most of the top schools were waiting to see how the top line of Tackles was going to shake out but make no mistake Pennington was a desired commodity.

Clemson should still pursue Leigh and Rucci for a final Tackle spot, but with Pennington in the fold you have back to back championship caliber Oline classes.