By Hale McGranahan.
By Hale McGranahan.
Two cornerbacks have received a majority of the defensive snaps for Clemson this season; and both are playing at a high level.
Respectively, redshirt senior Garry Peters and redshirt freshman Mackensie Alexander have logged 321 and 406 snaps this season.
Peters has 26 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks and three pass breakups. Alexander has 11 tackles, one tackle for loss and a pair of pass breakups.
Another redshirt senior, Martin Jenkins, has been limited to just 43 snaps in two games this sason because of injury.
Sophomore Cordrea Tankersley is third among Tiger cornerbacks with 87 snaps.
The other redshirt freshmen have played sparingly through the first seven games of the season. Ryan Carter has been on the field for three plays while Marcus Edmond has played 10 and Adrian Baker has logged 28 snaps.
Set to join the group next year are a pair of three-star prospects, Juwuan Briscoe (Waldorf, Maryland) and Kaleb Chalmers (Greenwood), both of whom have been committed to Clemson since the spring.
Last week, Briscoe’s recruiting profile saw a significant uptick when he picked up offers from Ohio State, Penn State and Florida. Scheduled to take his official visit to Clemson for the South Carolina game, Briscoe was non-committal when TheClemsonInsider asked him last week about potential trips to the schools that recently offered.
Chalmers, who’s on track to enroll at Clemson in January, has been dealing with an MCL for a majority of this season. He’s been on the Clemson campus for nearly every home game in 2014.
Tankersley and the redshirt freshmen cornerbacks will be eligible to leave for the NFL after next season. It would appear that Alexander is the most likely player in the group to depart early for the pros.
For now, it looks like Clemson will sign just one cornerback in the 2016 haul. Here are a few of the prospects we’ll be keeping an eye for that class.
Wayne Davis – Norfolk, Virginia – Lake Taylor
Clemson was one of the first offers for Davis, who’s listed as a three-star prospect by Rivals and Scout. He’s since added offers from Louisville, UNC, Ohio State, Tennessee and Wisconsin. Davis visited Clemson two summers ago and was set to return for the Louisville game, but those plans were nixed when his ride fell through.
Robbie Robinson – Hampton, Virginia – Phoebus
Despite his size (5-8, 160), Robinson is widely considered one of the top cornerback prospects in the country. A four-star, according to ESPN, Rivals and 247. Clemson hosted Robinson over the summer for the Dabo Swinney Football Camp and he’s tentatively scheduled to be back in town for the South Carolina game.
Saivion Smith – Saint Petersburg, Florida – IMG Academy
A five-star prospect, according to 247 and Scout, he’s also listed as the No. 1 cornerback in the country by both services. Rivals lists him as the second-best athlete in 2016. Nearly every major program in the country has offered. Clemson hosted him for a visit over the summer.
James Valdez – Lake Marion
The top cornerback prospect in the state, Valdez is still waiting to pick up an offer from Clemson. Since he arriving onto the recruiting scene before his sophomore season, Valdez has added offers from Tennessee, South Carolina, N.C. State and UNC.
Myles Wolfolk – Upper Marlboro, Maryland – Wise
Clemson was the first school to offer Wolfolk, who’s a three-star prospect, according to Rivals and Scout. In July, Wolfolk stopped by the Clemson campus for a visit. Boston College, UConn, Illinois, SMU and Old Dominion have also offered.