Recruiting Fodder

So with the dead period fast approaching and the finish line for this recruiting class in sight lets evaluate what is going on. First I want to say that nationally our class has slowly gained more recognition--I think the staff did a good job of evaluating some slightly underrated talent that is now being reflected late in lame star rankings.

Last time I posted on recruiting the top priority I stated was keeping all of our current commits. Well we have done an admirable job up until this point. Georgia and Auburn just will not stop trying to pick off our kids. They have been relentless and finally got David Beasley to visit and are trying to turn him. It would be a big blow, he is probably our best OL commit. Hopefully the Darius Robinson saga is over, apparently he visited Auburn then lied about it but everyone should take a deep breath and try to understand that these kids have a lot of pressure on them and good kids make mistakes. Darius if you are reading this, welcome to the family, to Tiger Nation, you got a lot of talent don't waste it like some two bit Coot(ie committing a felony).

The other concern about holding on to players is getting them all to qualify. There are rumblings that our top WR commit Bryant may not make it. This would be a major blow bc I love DeAndre Hopkins but he lacks the top level speed that Bryant has (although Bryant has slowly been slipping down recruiting boards). Also I recently heard that Craig from Gaffney is going to be close on the SAT. That is pure rumor though and should be treated as such cause we need serious help at WR soon. Charon Peake in 2011 is one of the top WR's in the nation and a Clemson lean.

Ok so the names I said to look out for were Justin Parker, DJ Howard, Ethan Farmer, Lipford and some others.

Then our staff got on their needs and by miraculous intervention have somehow put us not only in the race but potentially leading for KEENAN ALLEN!! I don't think Tiger fans know how good this kid is. I was literally drooling watching him play at the Shrine Bowl. Easily the best player on the field, best player in the Carolinas. Perhaps the number one WR in the nation!! Could start day 1 at WR or Safety in my opinion. Lets not forget that we also are leading for his older brother Zach Maynard. Let us set the record straight Maynard is not a bad QB. This isnt some 2 for 1 deal like Alabama fans, and Coot fans are trying to paint it as. I honestly think with Korn transferring we would be after Maynard regardless of the linkage. He is leaving Buffalo because his coach Turner Gill left (if it was me, it would be bc its stinking cold up in Buffalo--end of story), and you can't fault his brother for wanting to play with his brother. That is certainly not blackmail and to call it such is just sour grapes.

The two are also going to Cal but you got to think the hometown proximity favors the Tigers. We don't have a QB prospect in this class, Parker could be MLB bound and then you have Boyd as an unproven commodity to compete against. He has 18 TD's and 15 ints as a freshman--not all-world but competent and certainly with a year to sit out and learn the system would put him in good shape. Plus the brothers are together.

Back to my gushing though, KEENAN ALLEN!! He is way better than Lattimore and would be an amazing addition to the team. Would literally solve our problems at WR or legitimately replace McDaniel next year. Insane...go Dabo, go!! This was the big splash I was looking for--we have close to a top 10 class with this signing and about 5 top 150 players already verbals for 2011. Now that is championship caliber recruiting!!

So we need to finish strong by getting Justin Parker--he is still the number one defensive priority for me. A solid Mike Linebacker who averages between a 3/4 star. Right now it seems to be between us and LSU but Parker has been everywhere this recruiting season and I wouldn't count on it until the ink is dry. That being said I think we lead and if it really is a two team race, I don't know how many plane rides that give you headaches Parker wants to go on. Justin stay close to home because we desperately need you. You know USuCk isn't going anywhere in the SEC, they will have another .500 season next year but Clemson can win the ACC and soon compete for the Natl Champs. This year we lost to TCU and GT twice (even Maryland and its slow QB ran on us) because we lacked elite LB talent--you could change all that and erase those losses.

DJ Howard has to be monitoring the Lattimore situation. Auburn is stacked at RB and you'll get buried on the depth chart. Clemson gives you a chance to be the big back. Jamie Harper is good but there is plenty of room there for you to contribute right away. I think Dabo has really opened his eyes and made him feel like family. (Dabo has already earned his paycheck by flipping Barnes from FSU, by the way)

Last is Ethan Farmer who might not qualify but we are neck and neck with NCarolina for his services. I really like him and hope he comes to Clemson. He is the type of kid who doesn't care if he redshirts or not, just wants to get in the weight room and get to work. Seems like a lunch pail attitude that would fit in well, especially in contrast to some of our more finesse D Lineman. I would have liked to see him more as a TE, where I think we need some more help--we will see though. It'll come down to National Signing Day.

If we land Parker this is a good solid class that helps the team take a step forward, if we sign Allen we should be cheering. The addition of a QB depth, another big back, a MLB, DL/TE, and all world WR would make my day. Oh and got to hold on to our top OL recruit Beasley. If we could have scored one more plus OLineman like Max Garcia I would have been ecstatic about this class. Good job Dabo and company--now bring it home!!