With one week to go until Feb. 7, National Signing Day, Clemson is working to put the finishing touches on another top-10 recruiting class under coach Dabo Swinney.
The Tigers, whose 2018 recruiting class is currently ranked sixth in the country by ESPN, signed all 15 of their commitments during the early signing period in December. Clemson continues to recruit a select group of targets as it looks to fill a few remaining spots in its class on signing day.
Assuming the Tigers finish with a top-10 class, it will be the fourth straight year that Clemson’s class has been ranked in the top 10 according to ESPN.
So, where do things stand for the Tigers with a week to go until National Signing Day?
On the offensive side of the ball, Phenix City (Ala.) Central five-star wide receiver Justyn Ross and Tampa (Fla.) Cambridge Christian four-star offensive tackle Richard Gouraige are the lone targets left on the board.
Ross has a top three of Alabama, Auburn and Clemson, but his recruitment has boiled down to a battle between the Clemson Tigers and Crimson Tide. He will reveal his choice on signing day, and his announcement will be carried live by ESPN at 1 p.m. ET. TCI reported on Tuesday that Ross is struggling with his looming decision.
Swinney, area recruiter Todd Bates and wide receivers coach Jeff Scott are expected to make an in-home visit with Ross on Wednesday. Alabama coach Nick Saban went in-home with Ross last Thursday, while Auburn coach Gus Malzahn will go in to make his final pitch on Friday.
Swinney and the Tigers will try to lean on their strong relationships with Ross to pull the state of Alabama’s top prospect away from Saban. Clemson has been considered the leader for Ross, though Alabama has made a big push over the past few weeks.
Gouraige, meanwhile, is still publicly committed to Florida after pledging in October. However, he began exploring other options following the program’s coaching change and has taken official visits to Clemson, Ole Miss and Florida this month.
The Tigers made up ground in Gouraige’s recruitment while hosting him for an official visit three weeks ago. Florida got his latest official visit last weekend, and we expect him to end up signing with either the Gators or Tigers.
On the defensive side of things, just a few targets remain for the Tigers.
Clemson is aiming to add a cornerback to the class and hosted two top cornerback prospects for official visits last weekend: Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage five-star Patrick Surtain Jr. and Lee’s Summit (Mo.) West four-star Mario Goodrich.
Clemson continued its strong late push for Goodrich over the weekend. After offering him two weeks ago, the Tigers got him on campus and thoroughly impressed. Swinney and a few assistants followed up with an in-home visit with Goodrich on Monday morning.
Goodrich, a former Nebraska commitment, has also made official visits to LSU and Georgia in January. But Clemson has emerged as the most formidable contender heading down the stretch.
As for Surtain, he remains a long-shot, though Clemson gave him something to think about during the official visit. LSU and Alabama are believed to be the frontrunners, with Miami trying to make a late push.
The Hurricanes are slated to host Surtain for an official visit this weekend. Swinney and defensive coordinator Brent Venables are scheduled to go in-home with Surtain on Thursday.
Last but not least, Clemson is looking to sign a safety next week and has shifted its focus to a new target: Tucker (Ga.) three-star Trevon Flowers.
As we reported earlier, Flowers is set to make an official visit to Clemson beginning today. Swinney, safeties coach Mickey Conn and a couple of other assistants paid Flowers a visit at his school on Wednesday morning, when they extended an offer to him. Flowers told TCI that the coaches began communicating with him last Saturday.
Flowers is a two-sport athlete who was at one time committed to Kentucky for baseball. He wants to play both football and baseball in college and has the opportunity to do so at Clemson.
Kentucky and Tennessee are the other schools under consideration. Flowers made an official visit to Kentucky earlier this month and is slated to officially visit Tennessee this weekend following the Clemson official visit. He plans to announce his decision on signing day.