By Hale McGranahan.
With four offensive linemen on board for the 2015 class, it appears that the Clemson coaches are going to make the position a priority again in 2016.
Gone after this year are three players who’ve been starters this season: Kalon Davis, David Beasley and Reid Webster. Reserve guard Spencer Region is also expected to depart at the conclusion of the 2014 season.
In 2015, the team will have four more seniors, three of whom have been starters this season: Ryan Norton, Joe Gore, Isaiah Battle and Eric Mac Lain.
Over the course of the last year, three offensive linemen have left the program earlier than expected. Last season, Giff Timothy and Patrick DeStefano both retired from football because of injuries. Shaq Anthony, who was suspended for the season opener against Georgia, transferred just days before school started.
Mitch Hyatt, Jake Fruhmorgen, Noah Green and Zach Giella are committed to enroll at Clemson 2015. The Tigers also has a commitment from guard Logan Tisch (Chapel Hill, N.C.), who will join the team as a preferred walk-on.
TheClemsonInsider projects Clemson to add four more offensive linemen in 2016. Here are a few names we’ll be watching.
OG Pete Leota – Asheville, North Carolina
Leota, who visited Clemson for the S.C. State game, is a three-star prospect, according to Scout. Boston College and Wake Forest have offered. Clemson, Duke, Florida State and N.C. State are among the other schools expressing interest.
OG Sean Pollard – Pinecrest – Southern Pines, North Carolina
Earlier this summer, Pollard was set to make a pledge to Duke, but he opted to prolong his recruitment and remain uncommitted. This season, Pollard has visited Duke and been down to Clemson twice. He was in Tigertown the Sunday before the Florida State game and again last weekend for the UNC game. N.C. State and UNC will have him on campus later this season. According to Rivals, Pollard is a four-star prospect and the fourth-best guard in the class of 2016.
OG Landon Dickerson – Hickory, North Carolina
Dickerson, who’s listed at 6-foot-5, 290 pounds, owns offers from Virginia Tech and N.C. State. He camped at Clemson over the summer and visited again last weekend for the UNC game.
OG John Simpson – Fort Dorchester
Simpson grew up pulling for the Gamecocks and, to date, South Carolina is his only offer. Over the summer, Simpson camped at Clemson for three days; and he’s expected to make a return this season for a game.
OT Parker Bourdreaux – Moore Catholic – Orlando, Florida
Clemson hosted Bourdreaux for a two-day visit last weekend. With 50 offers, Bourdreaux is likely to keep Clemson in the mix for the long haul. Later this season, Bourdreaux will visit Miami and Penn State. 247 rates him as a four-star prospect.
OT Javon Kinlaw – Goose Creek
Over the last five years, not many programs in the state have sent more prospects to FBS programs than Goose Creek. Up next in the pipeline is Kinlaw, a 6-5, 285-pound prospect who could end up playing on either side of the ball at the next level. But he’s still learning how to play the game — this is his second season of football. To date, South Carolina remains his only offer. Scout and Rivals rate him as a four-star prospect.
OT Bryce Mathews – Brentwood Academy – Brentwood, Tennessee
Rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals, Mathews’ father played his college ball at Texas A&M, so most folks in the industry believe he’ll follow in those footsteps. In addition to Clemson, Mathews has offers from Alabama, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.