MONDAY INSIDER
By: Paul Strelow
1. Recruiting has often been analogized to soap operas for guys.
Well, this has been sweeps week.
The action has come fast and furious on the doorstep of the early signing period. Prospects can go ahead and sign with a school Wednesday through Friday, but the vast majority will transpire Wednesday. And over the recruiting landscape, an increasing number are signing early -- about three-fourths of the viable power conference prospects, in fact.
The NCAA's dead period is now in effect, which essentially precludes in-person contact either on the prospect's side or on a college campus. All communication is now supposed to be by text, call or social media.
The finish line in the race for the No. 1 recruiting class doesn’t arrive until February, and that might allow a passing lane for a contender or two who have more hooks in the water than Clemson will.
But the Tigers enter the week atop the Rivals.com team standings, having jumped to No. 1 with Saturday’s acquisition.
They have 3,060 points, ahead of No. 2 LSU (2,961), No. 3 Alabama (2,870) and No. 4 Ohio State (2,834).
For hypothetical sake, let’s say they land the other two four-star official visitors on campus this past weekend.
That would put Clemson at 3,162 points, with the asterisk that Rivals.com will update its individual prospect rankings one more time next month.
LSU remains the contender that can catch Clemson. But it has 22 commitments and is set to lose at least one-four to Clemson. Meanwhile, several other targets are expected to displace current commitments in the class, so estimating its final tally is much trickier.
Swinney said Clemson may never score a No. 1 class on the principle of how it recruits.
Yet the Tigers can’t get out of their own way in bullying toward the top of the leaderboard, either.
2. We start, as we traditionally do, by closing the book on the newly minted commitment.
What a turn of events, and what a flex.
Five-star linebacker Trenton Simpson got the offer he long coveted over the weekend in Clemson.
Charlotte (N.C.) Mallard Creek five-star linebacker Trenton Simpson announced his pledge Saturday evening, little more than an hour after informing us of his offer and about a half-hour after TigerIllustrated.com issued a projection for Simpson to commit to Clemson.
Graphics can take some time, you know.
But Simpson (6-3, 225), who gained five-star stature and climbed to No. 26 in this month’s rankings update, has been nothing if not patient.
We trace back to an interview we published in early April when we brought to light Clemson’s initial interest in Simpson as his stock began to rise:
“Clemson is really the school I’m waiting for right now,” Simpson told us at a camp. “I really love Clemson, both their coaching staff and how they build their players. Really I’m just waiting on them to offer me right now.”
Simpson then attended the spring game, but no offer. The Tigers had set their sights on a single oversign candidate at linebacker and felt they were in better shape there than the public perceived.
He eyed his June birthday for a decision and surprised many with a sudden commitment that month to Auburn, as UNC had been thought a foregone conclusion as his destination.
Simpson then quietly visited UNC twice before decommitting from Auburn in October. The Tar Heels seemed to be the obvious choice.
But his first visit following the decommitment went to Clemson, and only in recent hindsight did UNC raise an eyebrow that Simpson had attended the Tar Heels’ close loss to the Tigers.
Clemson still didn’t offer, though, and we heard at the time that left a disappointed mark.
UNC sought to pounce and brought him in for an official in early November. It’s fair to say the Tar Heels got everything short of a public commitment.
But his family didn’t want him to rush into another decision like his first premature pledge. UNC would still be there in the end.
The Tar Heels made him feel loved, and Mack Brown had put in the personal touch.
Clemson still had, though, what UNC couldn’t offer: Sentimental pull and national profile.
As we had chronicled, Simpson attended several Clemson games as a youngster, and he had gotten to know former Clemson defensive end Corey Crawford while living in Columbus, Ga., as his father was stationed at the military base in the area.
The Tigers are annually competing for national championships, too, and that’s a carrot few can credibly dangle.
After learning that Simpson had attended the ACC Championship on his own dime, Clemson's staff discreetly arranged for an in-home visit Thursday. The only coach who went was defensive coordinator Brent Venables.
UNC was largely unaware until Friday morning, and by then it was too late. Brown had used his in-home the week before, and his lead UNC recruiter had already conducted his allotted stop earlier in the week.
Momentum had swung, and it wasn’t going back.
As Simpson told Rivals.com regional analyst Adam Friedman, Swinney brought him and his parents to midfield at Saturday’s practice to convey the offer – which Simpson emotionally accepted on the spot.
Talent matters, and certainly this isn’t a prerequisite or guarantee for career success …
But the Clemson formula is dependent upon mutual investment, and that along with his personality are why the Tigers feel like they got an ideal fit.
Five-star linebacker Justin Flowe will remain on the West Coast after holding Clemson at or near the top of his list for months.
3. Which leads us to the other blue-chipper in this equation.
We summarily broke the news that Clemson was now full – or beyond full, actually – at linebacker, which translated into our no longer tracking the recruitment of Upland (Calif.) five-star Justin Flowe.
Flowe (6-2, 225), ranked No. 4 nationally, had appeared the apple of Clemson’s eye since the previous spring.
The Tigers were the distant frontrunner through the fall and heading into last month’s official visits. Miami drew the first look, followed by Clemson. After Flowe cancelled a trip to Georgia, he did go through with an official to Oregon. This past weekend’s official to USC came together later, but it amounted to immaterial.
As we wrote Saturday, yes, Oregon had given Flowe something to think about. We can tell you that one specific family member has been pushing the Ducks because of their relative proximity to home, and that has had an effect.
Our info did not suggest that Flowe had definitively shifted to Oregon. This had turned into a legit battle, and we spoke with one source who felt Flowe still preferred Clemson. We can tell you the Tigers were skeptical, though, of momentum shifting back in their direction.
Clemson's staff could have waited it out, and certainly risk management factored into going instead for the bird-in-hand.
Yet this more or less represented the final straw, and not the straw to be drawn right at the decision deadline.
As we expressed periodically on the WestZone message board, this was one that couldn’t be treated as done until it was done. There were too many influential voices, too much distance and such a contrasting cultural dynamic to the norm that precluded Clemson from ever feeling comfort and unbridled trust.
Equity had diminished over the last month for multiple reasons, and then when Flowe hadn’t shut the door back closed upon Venables’ in-home visit Tuesday, the transitional wheels sped up in motion.
Recruiting comes at you fast.
4. The course change predictably prompted questions about whether Clemson had instead moved on from the other five-star in the crosshairs.
Columbia (S.C.) Hammond School five-star defensive end Jordan Burch wrapped up the contact period with an official visit to Georgia.
Burch (6-5, 265), ranked No. 8 overall, had taken official visits to the furthest contenders: LSU and Alabama. That left three suitors available to get the final official, the others being Clemson and South Carolina.
We can tell you that UGA is not where any of the other parties thought he was visiting, Clemson's staff included.
You have perhaps seen that colleagues at UGASports.com have conveyed strong confidence in the Dawgs’ standing, and we don’t doubt that Georgia could be the choice by the same manner in which it lured him this past weekend.
Yet as we’ve maintained through the duration of this recruitment, we’d caution against putting too much weight into what we see in the moment.
We would suggest there’s evidence that plenty of other suitors have been given the same impression about their chances.
Time and again, we’ve contended the Burch case should not be interpreted with the conventional tells, and now isn’t the time to start trying to forcibly apply standard logic.
We don’t know where Burch will go, in as much because we have reason to believe the suitors who have gotten the proverbial wink and nod exponentially exceeds the number of schools to which he can sign.
Yes, the optics don’t add up in Clemson’s favor. Burch has not visited since the July All-In Cookout, yet it bears noting we labeled it a glorified official visit at the time because of the extended stay and the comprehensive nature of the trip. We’ve also gathered that in consensus, the rest of the suitors dismiss Clemson as a serious candidate.
Yet we underline this: Swinney and three assistants aren’t still devoting considerable time last Wednesday on an in-person visit to Burch and his mother if the Tigers don’t believe they’re still in it, and have reason to believe so. Based on feedback gathered as recently as Sunday, Burch is a prospect we are continuing to track.
Burch has previously disclosed the intent to announce Thursday, one day later than most. We’ve gotten strong indication that he will have his ceremony in Florence, his hometown.
But as we’ve expressed, we would not be surprised if his announcement gets moved to Wednesday if he indeed wants ESPN to televise it as part of the network’s signing day coverage.
The Tigers appear to be a long shot. We don’t know if stranger things have happened, but the first thousand words or so of this edition illustrate that we shouldn’t dismiss their possibility.
5. Yet another example for how circumstances can change in a hurry comes at defensive back.
Just a week ago, Clemson offered Lakeland (Fla.) high-three star corner Kendall Dennis.
Dennis (5-11, 172) drew an in-person stop from corners coach Mike Reed, and we reported that an official visit had been arranged for this past weekend.
Yet as we wrote last Monday, we were holding off on the projection italics.
Dennis had planned to commit to Clemson during the official visit.
Let’s just say that development might have had a hand in lighting the fire and increasing the sense of urgency elsewhere.
So Dennis was forced to change direction early in the week, and he wound up a surprise official visitor at Florida State for its new staff. We would cast Oklahoma, though, as the favorite to sign him Wednesday.
Tis the season for surprises.
Four-star DB Malcolm Greene enters this week still on LSU's commit list.
6. Which naturally brings us to Highland Springs (Va.) four-star defensive back Malcolm Greene.
Greene (5-10, 180), ranked No. 214 in the country, joined Simpson as one of the two high-profile official visitors we unveiled Friday night.
He was in Clemson’s earliest wave of junior offers in the summer of 2018, and the Tigers held the leverage for many months thereafter.
But as we reported at the time, Greene wanted to commit at the April spring game, only for Clemson to have filled up at defensive back with the takes of Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian Academy five-star corner Fred Davis and Southlake (Texas) Carroll four-star safety R.J. Mickens.
LSU turned up the heat on Greene early this fall and scored his commitment in October shortly after an official visit.
Clemson had sustained periodic communication to that point, to the degree Greene had listed the Tigers on his official visit itinerary for November. But Clemson didn’t have a spot yet, which making that arrangement tentative at best.
While the Tigers reached out to others last month when the decision was quietly made to add another defensive back, Greene had first dibs.
We can tell you that while Greene reciprocated Clemson’s interest, sentiment held that he intended to stick with his LSU pledge. To the point the Dennis offer materialized.
The pendulum definitively swung last weekend. LSU’s profile as the hot national brand appealed, and Greene had not wanted to go back on his word. But Greene and his family ultimately wanted Clemson to be the destination, and they mustered the gumption to set that in motion.
We issued a TigerIllustrated.com projection for Greene to Clemson on Monday afternoon upon reporting Greene had spoken to Swinney. We then brought to light that Swinney and assistant coaches had conducted their in-home on Thursday.
When Greene will publicly address his recruitment has gone back and forth, and last we heard, it probably wouldn’t be until Wednesday.
Regardless, the matter is when, not if.
7. The other prospect this cycle that we had discussed in recent days was Rome (Ga.) Darlington School five-star offensive tackle Tate Ratledge, a longstanding UGA commitment.
We wrote last week that Clemson's staff had kicked the tires in recent weeks on Ratledge, who hadn’t drawn much Clemson interest in the early going before the Tigers filled up their tackle spots.
Ratledge (6-5, 295), ranked No. 13 overall, solidified his pledge to UGA with a weekend official visit, as we speculatively expected.
We mentioned that Clemson would be UGA’s chief threat if it were to make a move, but we reported that it was a situation the Tigers only might revisit if Ratledge didn’t sign this week and was still on the market next month.
Clemson flipped Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood Christian’s Trent Howard from Georgia Tech two weeks ago, securing its sixth and anticipated final offensive line take for the class.
Truth be told, the Ratledge development had more to do with Ratledge and Clemson’s commitments reaching out to the coaching staff, not the other way around.
The Tigers didn’t hold Ratledge in the same light as the coverage industry, and there are no reasons to believe they will have another offensive line spot. But they were open to considering Ratledge if the elements came together. A moot point now.
Brentwood (Tenn.) four-star tight end Jake Briningstool.
8. Clemson’s guest list this past weekend also included an established junior target.
Brentwood (Tenn.) Ravenwood Academy four-star tight end Jake Briningstool traveled with his father, a former Michigan State linebacker, to take in Clemson’s practice Saturday.
Briningstool (6-6, 215), ranked No. 144 nationally by Rivals.com, has remained the Tigers’ lone 2021 tight end offer since getting the nod at the Dabo Swinney Camp in June.
That quickly pushed Clemson out in front, and Briningstool attended Clemson’s early September win against Texas A&M.
We have notedly reminded subscribers that Swinney encourages prospects to look around and do their due diligence to make sure they have recruiting and visits out of their system before committing.
Hence Briningstool subsequently took in games at UGA, Ohio State, Alabama and Tennessee during the season.
Briningstool long intended to get to Clemson one more time before the season completed, and Saturday’s visit replaced his cancelled trip for the Wake Forest game last month.
He wanted to spend more time to get to know the coaching staff as well as get a more expanded feel for the campus.
Clemson remains in the driver’s seat.
9. We’ve heard through the grapevine that multiple coaches believe big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games.
Further confirmation came to fruition this past weekend as several Clemson-related prospects did that very thing.
Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco five-star quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei completed 23 of 28 passes for 398 yards and four touchdowns in a 49-28 victory over highly ranked Concord (Calif.) De La Salle for the Open Division championship.
Uiagalelei also ran for 64 yards and a score.
With Stanford coach David Shaw on hand to watch him, Matthews (N.C.) Weddington 2021 four-star running back Will Shipley posted 257 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries as his team won its second straight 3AA championship, beating Lee County and UNC four-star defensive end commitment Desmond Evans 34-14. Shipley was named game MVP.
10. The final remaining target for this class we have yet to broach had a huge catch in his team’s come-from-behind championship win, finishing with eight receptions for 105 yards as well as a 2-yard touchdown run.
Miami (Fla.) Columbus four-star receiver Xzavier Henderson (6-3, 185), ranked No. 101 nationally by Rivals.com, wraps up his Clemson official visit this morning.
He and his family caught a flight in Saturday morning after his team won the 8A state championship in Daytona Beach, Fla.
New receivers coach Tyler Grisham and co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott made an in-home visit Thursday as a precursor to the trip.
Clemson had been trending favorably until lead recruiter Jeff Scott’s departure raised into reasonable question whether the Tigers could sustain that momentum.
Florida has stood as the chief competition, and Gators coach Dan Mullen conducted his in-home Wednesday along with a couple of assistants.
Henderson plans to announce his commitment Jan. 4 at the All-American game in San Antonio, Texas.
Tigerillustrated.com will be tracking Miami (Fla.) four-star wideout Xzavier Henderson past the early signing period.
Whether he would sign in December or February has been the wild card, and we would have increased the odds on sooner had Clemson not experienced the staff turnover.
Henderson has since been quoted saying he wants to sign with his teammates at their February ceremony.
We believe it pertinent that Swinney elected to forgo being a part of the in-home last week.
While Scott and several Clemson coaches delivered the message this past week that WRU won’t change, there was substantial value in Henderson and his family witnessing that plan in action with Saturday’s practice. To see Grisham at work, to see Swinney’s personal involvement with the group.
The greater benefit, though, was Henderson and family fostering and building on the relationships he had with coaches. Swinney had a hand in the overnight camp visit Henderson made with his parents in June.
But just as he is doing on the field in the transition, Swinney loves to jump in with the receivers. And we would suggest the Henderson official visit afforded him the opportunity to sometimes play position coach and lead recruiter again.
Our money is on the more Dabo, the greater the results.
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By: Paul Strelow
1. Recruiting has often been analogized to soap operas for guys.
Well, this has been sweeps week.
The action has come fast and furious on the doorstep of the early signing period. Prospects can go ahead and sign with a school Wednesday through Friday, but the vast majority will transpire Wednesday. And over the recruiting landscape, an increasing number are signing early -- about three-fourths of the viable power conference prospects, in fact.
The NCAA's dead period is now in effect, which essentially precludes in-person contact either on the prospect's side or on a college campus. All communication is now supposed to be by text, call or social media.
The finish line in the race for the No. 1 recruiting class doesn’t arrive until February, and that might allow a passing lane for a contender or two who have more hooks in the water than Clemson will.
But the Tigers enter the week atop the Rivals.com team standings, having jumped to No. 1 with Saturday’s acquisition.
They have 3,060 points, ahead of No. 2 LSU (2,961), No. 3 Alabama (2,870) and No. 4 Ohio State (2,834).
For hypothetical sake, let’s say they land the other two four-star official visitors on campus this past weekend.
That would put Clemson at 3,162 points, with the asterisk that Rivals.com will update its individual prospect rankings one more time next month.
LSU remains the contender that can catch Clemson. But it has 22 commitments and is set to lose at least one-four to Clemson. Meanwhile, several other targets are expected to displace current commitments in the class, so estimating its final tally is much trickier.
Swinney said Clemson may never score a No. 1 class on the principle of how it recruits.
Yet the Tigers can’t get out of their own way in bullying toward the top of the leaderboard, either.
2. We start, as we traditionally do, by closing the book on the newly minted commitment.
What a turn of events, and what a flex.
Five-star linebacker Trenton Simpson got the offer he long coveted over the weekend in Clemson.
Charlotte (N.C.) Mallard Creek five-star linebacker Trenton Simpson announced his pledge Saturday evening, little more than an hour after informing us of his offer and about a half-hour after TigerIllustrated.com issued a projection for Simpson to commit to Clemson.
Graphics can take some time, you know.
But Simpson (6-3, 225), who gained five-star stature and climbed to No. 26 in this month’s rankings update, has been nothing if not patient.
We trace back to an interview we published in early April when we brought to light Clemson’s initial interest in Simpson as his stock began to rise:
“Clemson is really the school I’m waiting for right now,” Simpson told us at a camp. “I really love Clemson, both their coaching staff and how they build their players. Really I’m just waiting on them to offer me right now.”
Simpson then attended the spring game, but no offer. The Tigers had set their sights on a single oversign candidate at linebacker and felt they were in better shape there than the public perceived.
He eyed his June birthday for a decision and surprised many with a sudden commitment that month to Auburn, as UNC had been thought a foregone conclusion as his destination.
Simpson then quietly visited UNC twice before decommitting from Auburn in October. The Tar Heels seemed to be the obvious choice.
But his first visit following the decommitment went to Clemson, and only in recent hindsight did UNC raise an eyebrow that Simpson had attended the Tar Heels’ close loss to the Tigers.
Clemson still didn’t offer, though, and we heard at the time that left a disappointed mark.
UNC sought to pounce and brought him in for an official in early November. It’s fair to say the Tar Heels got everything short of a public commitment.
But his family didn’t want him to rush into another decision like his first premature pledge. UNC would still be there in the end.
The Tar Heels made him feel loved, and Mack Brown had put in the personal touch.
Clemson still had, though, what UNC couldn’t offer: Sentimental pull and national profile.
As we had chronicled, Simpson attended several Clemson games as a youngster, and he had gotten to know former Clemson defensive end Corey Crawford while living in Columbus, Ga., as his father was stationed at the military base in the area.
The Tigers are annually competing for national championships, too, and that’s a carrot few can credibly dangle.
After learning that Simpson had attended the ACC Championship on his own dime, Clemson's staff discreetly arranged for an in-home visit Thursday. The only coach who went was defensive coordinator Brent Venables.
UNC was largely unaware until Friday morning, and by then it was too late. Brown had used his in-home the week before, and his lead UNC recruiter had already conducted his allotted stop earlier in the week.
Momentum had swung, and it wasn’t going back.
As Simpson told Rivals.com regional analyst Adam Friedman, Swinney brought him and his parents to midfield at Saturday’s practice to convey the offer – which Simpson emotionally accepted on the spot.
Talent matters, and certainly this isn’t a prerequisite or guarantee for career success …
But the Clemson formula is dependent upon mutual investment, and that along with his personality are why the Tigers feel like they got an ideal fit.
Five-star linebacker Justin Flowe will remain on the West Coast after holding Clemson at or near the top of his list for months.
3. Which leads us to the other blue-chipper in this equation.
We summarily broke the news that Clemson was now full – or beyond full, actually – at linebacker, which translated into our no longer tracking the recruitment of Upland (Calif.) five-star Justin Flowe.
Flowe (6-2, 225), ranked No. 4 nationally, had appeared the apple of Clemson’s eye since the previous spring.
The Tigers were the distant frontrunner through the fall and heading into last month’s official visits. Miami drew the first look, followed by Clemson. After Flowe cancelled a trip to Georgia, he did go through with an official to Oregon. This past weekend’s official to USC came together later, but it amounted to immaterial.
As we wrote Saturday, yes, Oregon had given Flowe something to think about. We can tell you that one specific family member has been pushing the Ducks because of their relative proximity to home, and that has had an effect.
Our info did not suggest that Flowe had definitively shifted to Oregon. This had turned into a legit battle, and we spoke with one source who felt Flowe still preferred Clemson. We can tell you the Tigers were skeptical, though, of momentum shifting back in their direction.
Clemson's staff could have waited it out, and certainly risk management factored into going instead for the bird-in-hand.
Yet this more or less represented the final straw, and not the straw to be drawn right at the decision deadline.
As we expressed periodically on the WestZone message board, this was one that couldn’t be treated as done until it was done. There were too many influential voices, too much distance and such a contrasting cultural dynamic to the norm that precluded Clemson from ever feeling comfort and unbridled trust.
Equity had diminished over the last month for multiple reasons, and then when Flowe hadn’t shut the door back closed upon Venables’ in-home visit Tuesday, the transitional wheels sped up in motion.
Recruiting comes at you fast.
4. The course change predictably prompted questions about whether Clemson had instead moved on from the other five-star in the crosshairs.
Columbia (S.C.) Hammond School five-star defensive end Jordan Burch wrapped up the contact period with an official visit to Georgia.
Burch (6-5, 265), ranked No. 8 overall, had taken official visits to the furthest contenders: LSU and Alabama. That left three suitors available to get the final official, the others being Clemson and South Carolina.
We can tell you that UGA is not where any of the other parties thought he was visiting, Clemson's staff included.
You have perhaps seen that colleagues at UGASports.com have conveyed strong confidence in the Dawgs’ standing, and we don’t doubt that Georgia could be the choice by the same manner in which it lured him this past weekend.
Yet as we’ve maintained through the duration of this recruitment, we’d caution against putting too much weight into what we see in the moment.
We would suggest there’s evidence that plenty of other suitors have been given the same impression about their chances.
Time and again, we’ve contended the Burch case should not be interpreted with the conventional tells, and now isn’t the time to start trying to forcibly apply standard logic.
We don’t know where Burch will go, in as much because we have reason to believe the suitors who have gotten the proverbial wink and nod exponentially exceeds the number of schools to which he can sign.
Yes, the optics don’t add up in Clemson’s favor. Burch has not visited since the July All-In Cookout, yet it bears noting we labeled it a glorified official visit at the time because of the extended stay and the comprehensive nature of the trip. We’ve also gathered that in consensus, the rest of the suitors dismiss Clemson as a serious candidate.
Yet we underline this: Swinney and three assistants aren’t still devoting considerable time last Wednesday on an in-person visit to Burch and his mother if the Tigers don’t believe they’re still in it, and have reason to believe so. Based on feedback gathered as recently as Sunday, Burch is a prospect we are continuing to track.
Burch has previously disclosed the intent to announce Thursday, one day later than most. We’ve gotten strong indication that he will have his ceremony in Florence, his hometown.
But as we’ve expressed, we would not be surprised if his announcement gets moved to Wednesday if he indeed wants ESPN to televise it as part of the network’s signing day coverage.
The Tigers appear to be a long shot. We don’t know if stranger things have happened, but the first thousand words or so of this edition illustrate that we shouldn’t dismiss their possibility.
5. Yet another example for how circumstances can change in a hurry comes at defensive back.
Just a week ago, Clemson offered Lakeland (Fla.) high-three star corner Kendall Dennis.
Dennis (5-11, 172) drew an in-person stop from corners coach Mike Reed, and we reported that an official visit had been arranged for this past weekend.
Yet as we wrote last Monday, we were holding off on the projection italics.
Dennis had planned to commit to Clemson during the official visit.
Let’s just say that development might have had a hand in lighting the fire and increasing the sense of urgency elsewhere.
So Dennis was forced to change direction early in the week, and he wound up a surprise official visitor at Florida State for its new staff. We would cast Oklahoma, though, as the favorite to sign him Wednesday.
Tis the season for surprises.
Four-star DB Malcolm Greene enters this week still on LSU's commit list.
6. Which naturally brings us to Highland Springs (Va.) four-star defensive back Malcolm Greene.
Greene (5-10, 180), ranked No. 214 in the country, joined Simpson as one of the two high-profile official visitors we unveiled Friday night.
He was in Clemson’s earliest wave of junior offers in the summer of 2018, and the Tigers held the leverage for many months thereafter.
But as we reported at the time, Greene wanted to commit at the April spring game, only for Clemson to have filled up at defensive back with the takes of Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian Academy five-star corner Fred Davis and Southlake (Texas) Carroll four-star safety R.J. Mickens.
LSU turned up the heat on Greene early this fall and scored his commitment in October shortly after an official visit.
Clemson had sustained periodic communication to that point, to the degree Greene had listed the Tigers on his official visit itinerary for November. But Clemson didn’t have a spot yet, which making that arrangement tentative at best.
While the Tigers reached out to others last month when the decision was quietly made to add another defensive back, Greene had first dibs.
We can tell you that while Greene reciprocated Clemson’s interest, sentiment held that he intended to stick with his LSU pledge. To the point the Dennis offer materialized.
The pendulum definitively swung last weekend. LSU’s profile as the hot national brand appealed, and Greene had not wanted to go back on his word. But Greene and his family ultimately wanted Clemson to be the destination, and they mustered the gumption to set that in motion.
We issued a TigerIllustrated.com projection for Greene to Clemson on Monday afternoon upon reporting Greene had spoken to Swinney. We then brought to light that Swinney and assistant coaches had conducted their in-home on Thursday.
When Greene will publicly address his recruitment has gone back and forth, and last we heard, it probably wouldn’t be until Wednesday.
Regardless, the matter is when, not if.
7. The other prospect this cycle that we had discussed in recent days was Rome (Ga.) Darlington School five-star offensive tackle Tate Ratledge, a longstanding UGA commitment.
We wrote last week that Clemson's staff had kicked the tires in recent weeks on Ratledge, who hadn’t drawn much Clemson interest in the early going before the Tigers filled up their tackle spots.
Ratledge (6-5, 295), ranked No. 13 overall, solidified his pledge to UGA with a weekend official visit, as we speculatively expected.
We mentioned that Clemson would be UGA’s chief threat if it were to make a move, but we reported that it was a situation the Tigers only might revisit if Ratledge didn’t sign this week and was still on the market next month.
Clemson flipped Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood Christian’s Trent Howard from Georgia Tech two weeks ago, securing its sixth and anticipated final offensive line take for the class.
Truth be told, the Ratledge development had more to do with Ratledge and Clemson’s commitments reaching out to the coaching staff, not the other way around.
The Tigers didn’t hold Ratledge in the same light as the coverage industry, and there are no reasons to believe they will have another offensive line spot. But they were open to considering Ratledge if the elements came together. A moot point now.
Brentwood (Tenn.) four-star tight end Jake Briningstool.
8. Clemson’s guest list this past weekend also included an established junior target.
Brentwood (Tenn.) Ravenwood Academy four-star tight end Jake Briningstool traveled with his father, a former Michigan State linebacker, to take in Clemson’s practice Saturday.
Briningstool (6-6, 215), ranked No. 144 nationally by Rivals.com, has remained the Tigers’ lone 2021 tight end offer since getting the nod at the Dabo Swinney Camp in June.
That quickly pushed Clemson out in front, and Briningstool attended Clemson’s early September win against Texas A&M.
We have notedly reminded subscribers that Swinney encourages prospects to look around and do their due diligence to make sure they have recruiting and visits out of their system before committing.
Hence Briningstool subsequently took in games at UGA, Ohio State, Alabama and Tennessee during the season.
Briningstool long intended to get to Clemson one more time before the season completed, and Saturday’s visit replaced his cancelled trip for the Wake Forest game last month.
He wanted to spend more time to get to know the coaching staff as well as get a more expanded feel for the campus.
Clemson remains in the driver’s seat.
9. We’ve heard through the grapevine that multiple coaches believe big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games.
Further confirmation came to fruition this past weekend as several Clemson-related prospects did that very thing.
Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco five-star quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei completed 23 of 28 passes for 398 yards and four touchdowns in a 49-28 victory over highly ranked Concord (Calif.) De La Salle for the Open Division championship.
Uiagalelei also ran for 64 yards and a score.
With Stanford coach David Shaw on hand to watch him, Matthews (N.C.) Weddington 2021 four-star running back Will Shipley posted 257 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries as his team won its second straight 3AA championship, beating Lee County and UNC four-star defensive end commitment Desmond Evans 34-14. Shipley was named game MVP.
10. The final remaining target for this class we have yet to broach had a huge catch in his team’s come-from-behind championship win, finishing with eight receptions for 105 yards as well as a 2-yard touchdown run.
Miami (Fla.) Columbus four-star receiver Xzavier Henderson (6-3, 185), ranked No. 101 nationally by Rivals.com, wraps up his Clemson official visit this morning.
He and his family caught a flight in Saturday morning after his team won the 8A state championship in Daytona Beach, Fla.
New receivers coach Tyler Grisham and co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott made an in-home visit Thursday as a precursor to the trip.
Clemson had been trending favorably until lead recruiter Jeff Scott’s departure raised into reasonable question whether the Tigers could sustain that momentum.
Florida has stood as the chief competition, and Gators coach Dan Mullen conducted his in-home Wednesday along with a couple of assistants.
Henderson plans to announce his commitment Jan. 4 at the All-American game in San Antonio, Texas.
Tigerillustrated.com will be tracking Miami (Fla.) four-star wideout Xzavier Henderson past the early signing period.
Whether he would sign in December or February has been the wild card, and we would have increased the odds on sooner had Clemson not experienced the staff turnover.
Henderson has since been quoted saying he wants to sign with his teammates at their February ceremony.
We believe it pertinent that Swinney elected to forgo being a part of the in-home last week.
While Scott and several Clemson coaches delivered the message this past week that WRU won’t change, there was substantial value in Henderson and his family witnessing that plan in action with Saturday’s practice. To see Grisham at work, to see Swinney’s personal involvement with the group.
The greater benefit, though, was Henderson and family fostering and building on the relationships he had with coaches. Swinney had a hand in the overnight camp visit Henderson made with his parents in June.
But just as he is doing on the field in the transition, Swinney loves to jump in with the receivers. And we would suggest the Henderson official visit afforded him the opportunity to sometimes play position coach and lead recruiter again.
Our money is on the more Dabo, the greater the results.
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