Clemson’s 2018 recruiting class is currently comprised of five commitments, two on offense and three on defense. Cartersville (Ga.) five-star quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 2018 prospect, headlines a Clemson group that is ranked seventh in the country by 247Sports in the early going with all of the pledges rated among the recruiting service’s top 250 prospects.

The class will end up similar in size to Clemson’s 14-member 2017 class, as the Tigers are expected to take anywhere from 13 to 16 prospects.

Clemson has six defensive tackles on scholarship heading into the 2017 season counting Christian Wilkins, who played defensive end last season but could move back inside. Wilkins and Albert Huggins are rising juniors, Jabril Robinson is a rising redshirt junior, Sterling Johnson is a rising redshirt sophomore, Dexter Lawrence is a rising sophomore and Nyles Pinckney is a redshirt freshman.

As it stands now we think Clemson is likely to sign four defensive linemen in the 2018 class, including at least two defensive tackles, potentially three. The Tigers already have one tackle on board in Richburg (S.C.) Lewisville four-star Josh Belk, who committed to Clemson on Jan. 29 after its first Junior Day of the year. The 6-foot-3, 285-pounder is rated as high as the No. 64 overall prospect in the class and No. 1 player in South Carolina by ESPN.

Clemson got one of the best defensive tackles in the country on campus last month for the Junior Day. Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy five-star Taron Vincent made his first trip to the school with teammate Mike Jones, one of Clemson’s two 2018 linebacker commitments. Vincent, who carries more than 30 offers, is a consensus top-25 overall prospect and the No. 1 defensive tackle according to Rivals, Scout and 247Sports.

Clemson made quite the impression on Vincent during his visit, and he told us after that the Tigers moved into his top group, tied with Alabama for third place behind Ohio State and Florida State. The Buckeyes have held the pole position for some time and are considered the team to beat, though Clemson has opened the door for itself. Michigan is another school near the top of his list. The 6-foot-2, 290-pounder is the son of former NFL cornerback and current executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent.

Vincent’s teammate at IMG Academy, Stephon Wynn, also attended the Junior Day and is believed to favor Clemson over his two dozen other offers. The four-star is listed by the major recruiting services as a defensive end, but could sign with the Tigers as a defensive tackle. The native of Anderson, S.C., formally named Clemson a top school on New Year’s Eve along with Tennessee, Georgia, LSU, South Carolina, North Carolina, Auburn and Virginia Tech. Wynn, a top-100 prospect by ESPN, Rivals and 247, has since added offers from Alabama, Miami and Ohio State.

Brooklyn (N.Y.) Erasmus Hall four-star tackle Matthew Jones, also a top-100 prospect by the aforementioned recruiting services, has kept Clemson in the mix after being offered by the Tigers last May. Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Alabama and Georgia are others in the top crop of contenders.

Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller four-star tackle Aeneas Hawkins visited Clemson for the spring game in 2016 and received an offer from the Tigers in October. In January, he named Clemson one of the schools he was considering the most at the time along with Alabama, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Penn State. Hawkins, however, appears to be more of a long shot for Clemson.

Birmingham (Ala.) four-star tackle Coynis Miller received an offer from Clemson last week. The 6-foot-4, 270-pounder rated as a top-150 prospect by 247 holds other offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Louisville, LSU, Michigan and Mississippi. Alabama and Auburn have the home advantage, but Clemson will likely at least get a visit.

Other names at the position we’re keeping an eye on include Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha four-star Austin Fontaine and Raleigh (N.C.) Sanderson’s Alim McNeill. Fontaine was offered by Clemson in September 2015, and McNeill attended Clemson’s win over South Carolina in November.