The Clemson Insider continues its “Looking Ahead” series with a forward look at Clemson’s top defensive end targets in the 2017 class.

After losing Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd to the NFL, and Dane Rodgers to the transfer market, Clemson signed a defensive end in February: Wichita (Kan.) four-star Xavier Kelly, one of the nation’s top players at the position. Bamberg three-star LaSamuel Davis, an original member of the 2015 class, also entered the fold when he arrived to campus in January.

Clemson returns a couple of ends with playing experience in Austin Bryant (219 career snaps) and Richard Yeargin (147 career snaps). Bryant is listed as a starter on Clemson’s latest depth chart that was released in May, while Yeargin is listed as a backup opposite him.

Bryant is a sophomore and Yeargin is a redshirt sophomore. Redshirt freshman Clelin Ferrell is the projected starter across from Bryant, and redshirt sophomore Chris Register is expected to open as Bryant’s backup. Redshirt freshman Sterling Johnson will vie for playing time as well. Sophomore defensive tackle Christian Wilkins also worked at defensive end in the spring and may be deployed there in certain situations.

Clemson received a commitment from Rock Hill four-star defensive end Logan Rudolph in May.

The Clemson Insider believes the Tigers will add two more defensive ends for the current cycle. Here are the biggest names we’re tracking:

Jordan Williams – Virginia Beach, Va.

Williams recently competed at The Opening finals in Beaverton, Ore., and was named a Final Five defensive lineman at the event. On June 1, Williams announced that Clemson, Tennessee, Virginia and Virginia Tech are his top schools in no order. Clemson appears to be in good shape with Williams, who will be at the All In Cookout this month. Williams will commit on Aug. 6 at Frank W. Cox High School.

Malik Herring – Forsyth, Ga.

Herring attended the first session of the Dabo Swinney Camp for a day on June 8, when he garnered some special attention from the head coach. The Mary Persons High School product announced his top seven schools later in the month, and Clemson topped the list, followed in order by Alabama, Southern Cal, Middle Tennessee, Georgia, Tennessee and LSU. Herring competed at The Opening finals, where he sported a Georgia hat on the last day. While that’s worth noting, we don’t advise reading too much into it.

Markaviest Bryant – Cordele, Ga.

Bryant last visited Clemson in January for Junior Day. Most recently, he made trips to Georgia and Florida State in June. Many in the industry consider Bryant to be a Georgia lean. However, Clemson is recruiting him hard, and the Tigers are squarely in the mix. Bryant told The Clemson Insider in July that Clemson is one of the schools at the top of his list because of his relationship with defensive coordinator Brent Venables and that he always feels “at home” in Clemson.

Jonathan Garvin – Lake Worth, Fla.

Clemson offered Garvin on May 18 and immediately became a player for his services. The 6-foot-4, 222-pound three-star from Oxbridge Academy attended the first session of the Swinney Camp.

Joshua Paschal – Olney, Md.

Paschal is another name to keep an eye on. After returning home from The Opening finals, Paschal put Clemson in his list of top seven schools along with Maryland, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Southern Cal, North Carolina and Oklahoma.