Insider
Scout's Take: DE Xavier Kelly to Clemson
ESPN 300 DE Xavier Kelly is the latest coveted prospect to join Clemson's 2016 class. Read below to see what the future could hold for Kelly in Death Valley:
What he brings: Kelly is a long, lean athletic prospect who brings some promising upside. He needs to continue to develop his frame and add mass, but displays wiry strength and a physical nature in his play. One of the strengths of the ESPN 300 defender is his speed, giving him very good range and the ability to be a factor in pursuit. He needs to add size to help him anchor against bigger blockers at the Power 5 level, but when he stays low he's tougher at the point of attack than his build might indicate, and with his athleticism he can quickly squeeze and take away cutback lanes and be active along the line. Against current competition he can try and rely some on natural ability at this stage to have success, but with his length, a quick first step and athleticism, he has potential to develop into a disruptive edge rusher.
How he fits: After losing multiple D-Linemen following last season, Clemson signed a strong DL class this past signing day, and now with Kelly they add more D-Line talent and depth to the mix. Kelly is still a bit of a developmental prospect at this stage, but with his length and athleticism he brings to Death Valley potentially a high ceiling for development and the ability to offer some versatility in how he's used within the front seven.
In Kelly, we feel Clemson has landed a player similar to 2015 signee Clelin Ferrell,
who may not be as fast, but when healthy is also a lean, lengthy edge defender that moves well and presents good upside. The initial impact for both these players will likely be limited, but they now give Clemson a pair of rangy and potentially disruptive defenders to develop.
How the class is shaping up: Clemson is limited in quantity, but is building a class strong in quality. Over half of the Tigers' commitments are ranked within the ESPN 300. Kelly is their seventh commitment from an ESPN 300 prospect, and overall Clemson now has 11 total commitments. The class is led by No. 2 OLB Rahshun Smith on the defensive side of the ball and No. 2 RB Tavien Feaster on the offensive side of the ball.
Scout's Take: DE Xavier Kelly to Clemson
ESPN 300 DE Xavier Kelly is the latest coveted prospect to join Clemson's 2016 class. Read below to see what the future could hold for Kelly in Death Valley:
What he brings: Kelly is a long, lean athletic prospect who brings some promising upside. He needs to continue to develop his frame and add mass, but displays wiry strength and a physical nature in his play. One of the strengths of the ESPN 300 defender is his speed, giving him very good range and the ability to be a factor in pursuit. He needs to add size to help him anchor against bigger blockers at the Power 5 level, but when he stays low he's tougher at the point of attack than his build might indicate, and with his athleticism he can quickly squeeze and take away cutback lanes and be active along the line. Against current competition he can try and rely some on natural ability at this stage to have success, but with his length, a quick first step and athleticism, he has potential to develop into a disruptive edge rusher.
How he fits: After losing multiple D-Linemen following last season, Clemson signed a strong DL class this past signing day, and now with Kelly they add more D-Line talent and depth to the mix. Kelly is still a bit of a developmental prospect at this stage, but with his length and athleticism he brings to Death Valley potentially a high ceiling for development and the ability to offer some versatility in how he's used within the front seven.
In Kelly, we feel Clemson has landed a player similar to 2015 signee Clelin Ferrell,
who may not be as fast, but when healthy is also a lean, lengthy edge defender that moves well and presents good upside. The initial impact for both these players will likely be limited, but they now give Clemson a pair of rangy and potentially disruptive defenders to develop.
How the class is shaping up: Clemson is limited in quantity, but is building a class strong in quality. Over half of the Tigers' commitments are ranked within the ESPN 300. Kelly is their seventh commitment from an ESPN 300 prospect, and overall Clemson now has 11 total commitments. The class is led by No. 2 OLB Rahshun Smith on the defensive side of the ball and No. 2 RB Tavien Feaster on the offensive side of the ball.
