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 sixth 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 plenty of depth right now along the offensive line, though it will lose rising redshirt seniors Tyrone Crowder, Maverick Morris and Kelby Bevelle after the 2017 season. Rising junior Mitch Hyatt has the potential to leave early for the NFL after next season. Taylor Hearn and Justin Falcinelli will be redshirt seniors in 2018.
So, while Clemson doesn’t have an immediate need for offensive linemen, the Tigers are squarely in the mix for a number of top 2018 offensive line targets. With that said, it would be surprising if they signed less than two in this cycle. We think they could sign three or possibly even four depending on various circumstances.
With the tight scholarship numbers, it isn’t a given that the Tigers will take an offensive guard in this cycle if they miss out on their priority targets. However, Clemson is a legitimate contender for two of the best guards in the country, and hosted both last month.
Atlanta (Ga.) Pace Academy five-star Jamaree Salyer and Warner Robins (Ga.) Houston County four-star Trey Hill attended Clemson’s Junior Day on Jan. 28. Rivals and 247Sports rank Salyer and Hill as the No. 1 and No. 2 guards in the 2018 class, respectively.
Clemson was the seventh school to offer Salyer in June 2015. The consensus top-25 overall prospect that now touts over 30 offers has held Georgia as his leader since the summer, with Clemson a close second. Ohio State emerged behind the two after offering in July.
It will likely boil down to the Tigers and Bulldogs. Georgia is the perceived favorite for the in-state product, and it doesn’t hurt the school’s chances that he was teammates with 2017 signees Andrew Thomas and Trey Blount at Pace Academy. However, he is also good friends with Lawrence, and Clemson made a strong impression on the 6-foot-4, 325-pounder during Junior Day. “They really open your eyes to what it means to be a Clemson Tiger,” he told us after. Salyer was originally eyeing a decision timeframe of this summer, but told us recently that he “probably” won’t make a decision until signing day.
Meanwhile, Hill’s visit to Clemson for the Junior Day marked his second trip to the school. The 6-foot-4, 330-pounder picked up an offer from the Tigers last June after competing at the Dabo Swinney Camp.
A consensus top-100 prospect with more than two dozen offers, Hill holds Georgia in high regard and attended its Junior Day on Saturday. Reports of his latest trip to Clemson were positive, and the Tigers are in the mix along with schools such as Auburn, Florida, Florida State and Tennessee. He doesn’t have a timetable for a decision right now.
Other names we’re monitoring at the guard position include Stockbridge (Ga.) Woodland four-star James Ohonba (6-4, 320) and Montgomery (Ala.) Park Crossing four-star Tank Jenkins (6-4, 330), both of whom received offers from Clemson on May 12. Ohonba participated in the Swinney Camp last June, while Jenkins is thought to favor in-state Alabama and Auburn among his 20-plus offers.
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