With the commitment of four-star Jayden Aparicio-Bailey on Saturday, Clemson’s current recruiting class now ranks as high as No. 11 nationally.

With only one or two more spots to be filled as things stand, it likely won’t stay that high in the rankings. But no matter where it ultimately ends up being ranked, don’t let that get in the way of exactly what the coaching staff has accomplished. Whether the class ends up ranked inside the Top 25 or the Top 15 really doesn’t matter. What does matter is that the staff has restocked the cupboard, so to speak, and at every position.

Everybody knows recruiting rankings are pretty subjective. They are not the be-all, end-all, by any stretch. But for this exercise, we are going to take a look at how many players in the current class rank among the Top 25 at their respective positions by at least one of the services.

Let’s start with the most important spot on the field, the quarterback. While the two major services might disagree on what kind of prospect Kharim Hughley is, if you’ve had the privilege of watching him play in person, it’s easy to see. The kid just has it.

Two different services rank Hughley among the Top 12 quarterbacks in the class, which feels about right to me. Another ranks him No. 24, which definitely feels a little too low. While there are never any guarantees, Hughley certainly looks like he could be the quarterback of the future. Either way, he’s one of the Top 25 players at his position.

After failing to land a running back in the last recruiting class, the Tigers hit on a big one in late May, with four-star Gary Walker announcing a commitment. Both of the major services rank him as one of the 10 best backs in the class.

Clemson currently has three receivers committed in Trey Wimbley, Jamarin Simmons and Julian Cromartie. Simmons is a five-star, Wimbley a four-star and Cromartie a three-star.

Simmons is another one that the two major services disagree on. He is ranked as the No. 5 receiver at 247 and No. 28 at Rivals. Wimbley was ranked fairly highly before deciding to reclassify last year, and if you watch Cromartie’s film, it’s easy to make the argument he’s severely overlooked by the services. Going simply off the rankings, though, Clemson has one of the best wideouts in the class on board.

At tight end, the Tigers have three-star Carter Blackwell. Rivals and 247 both rank him outside the Top 40 at his position, but ESPN slots him No. 23. One thing I do feel comfortable saying is that this coaching staff has consistently had a lot of success with the evaluations at tight end. Even still, at least one service sees him as one of the 25-best tight ends in the country.

Clemson has four offensive linemen committed, with each one being ranked a four-star. Luke Starcevic is ranked as high as No. 10 among all interior linemen in the class. JJ Brown is slotted as high as No. 20 among all tackles, as is Carter Jones. Elijah Morrison is ranked among the Top 25 interior linemen by two of the services and is as high as No. 12. So, all four are among the Top 25 at their positions.

Moving over to the defensive side of the ball, it’s more of the same. All three services rank four-star Desmond Malpress inside the Top 25 at the position. Two of them rank him among the Top 16. Four-star defensive end Santana Harvey is ranked as high as No. 25 at his position.

All three services rank four-star linebacker Bryce Kish among the Top 20 at his position. Rivals sees him as the sixth-best linebacker in the class.

Aparicio-Bailey is ranked inside the Top 15 at his position by every service but one. 247 slots him at No. 22. The recruiting services have him listed as a safety, but Clemson is bringing him in to play corner.

Rivals ranks four-star safety Jarrell Chandler No. 6 among all players at his position. The Tigers are also still pursuing four-star Seth Williams, who is ranked as high as No. 25.

The Tigers even have one of the best kickers in Michael Brandin Gallaway. The left-footed Gallaway is ranked by Kohl’s Kicking as the No. 1 punter and No. 4 kicker in the class of 2027.

As things stand right now, there is only one position where the Tigers don’t have at least one recruit ranked as one of the Top 25 players at their respective positions. Defensive tackle.

The Tigers have just one defensive tackle currently committed in three-star Jaden Wuerth, but are expected to add four-star Seth Tillman when he announces on July 11. Every service ranks him among the Top 25, with Rivals slotting him No. 11.

If things go as expected, Clemson will have done an excellent job of piecing together this class. There is legit talent at every position, which should bode well for the future of the program. Obviously, you have to keep all these guys in the fold until signing day, but as we sit here in late June, the arrow is pointing upwards for the Tigers on the recruiting trail.

Photo courtesy of Kharim Hughley on Instagram