The top 50 recruits combined between Clemson and Alabama
By: Larry Williams
From fans' perspective, there's so much about a rivalry that goes beyond what happens on that one day a year when the two teams meet.
Yes, the winner on the field gets bragging rights and all that.
But score is kept in so many ways other than on the scoreboard as fans cross paths in person and online.
So here's another way to keep score as the longing for next season takes on far more gravity than usual.
Let's see where Clemson stands against some of its rivals by combining the two rosters and ranking the top 50 players.
The criteria is pretty simple: Where each player was ranked by Rivals.com as a high school prospect.
The obvious flaw in this method is that sometimes the recruiting analysts get it wrong. Travis Etienne, for example, would unquestionably rank near the top of this list. But since he was a 3-star in the 2017 class, he didn't make the Rivals250 and thus doesn't make this Top 50.
Chris Olave is an outstanding receiver for Ohio State, but he was a 3-star in high school.
Even with that in mind, it's still fun to examine the raw numbers and see where Clemson stands compared to some of its chief competition.
So far we have examined Clemson vs. South Carolina (the Tigers have 34 of the 50 spots), Clemson vs. Ohio State (the Buckeyes have 30 of the 50) and Clemson vs. Florida State (Clemson has 30 of the 50 spots).
Now we turn our attention to Tuscaloosa and a football program you might be familiar with.
The Tigers and Tide did not meet in the 2019 College Football Playoff, snapping a four-year run of final-four showdowns (three of them in the final game). Clemson and Alabama split those four playoff meetings, the Tigers outscoring the Tide 125-116.
Though Ohio State and Georgia have emerged as intriguing contenders by virtue of excellent recruiting, it would be crazy to dismiss Alabama as long as Nick Saban is calling the shots on the field and in recruiting.
The Crimson Tide owns 29 of the spots in our Top 50.
Here's the breakdown:
1. Bryan Bresee, DL (No. 1, 2020 class)
1. Trevor Lawrence, QB (No. 1, 2018)
1. Najee Harris, RB (No. 1, 2017)
4. Bryce Young, QB (No. 2, 2020)
5. D.J. Uiagalelei, QB (No. 3, 2020)
5. Trey Sanders, RB (No. 3, 2019)
7. Alex Leatherwood, OL (No. 4, 2017)
7. Myles Murphy, DE (No. 4, 2020)
9. Ben Davis, LB (No. 5, 2016)
9. Xavier Thomas, DE (No. 5, 2018)
11. Evan Neal, OT (No. 8, 2019)
11. Patrick Surtain, CB (No. 8, 2018)
13. Trenton Simpson, LB (No. 11, 2020)
14. Andrew Booth, CB (No. 14, 2019)
15. Justyn Ross, WR (No. 15, 2018)
16. Jackson Carman, OT (No. 16, 2018)
17. William Anderson, DE (No. 22, 2020)
18. Chris Braswell, LB (No. 24, 2020)
19. Demarkcus Bowman, RB (No. 26, 2020)
19. K.J. Henry, DE (No. 26, 2018)
21. Joe Ngata, WR (No. 27, 2019)
22. Derion Kendrick, WR/CB (No. 30, 2018)
23. Jaylen Waddle, WR (No. 31, 2018)
24. Dylan Moses, LB (No. 32, 2017)
25. Demouy Kennedy, LB (No. 34, 2020)
26. Cornell Powell, WR (No. 36, 2016)
27. Drew Sanders, LB (No. 37, 2020)
27. Jordan Battle, S (No. 37, 2019)
29. Walker Parks, OL (No. 38, 2020)
30. Timothy Smith, DT (No. 42, 2020)
30. Devonta Smith, WR (No. 42, 2017)
32. Landon Dickerson, OL (No. 43, 2016)
33. LaBryan Ray, DE (No. 45, 2017)
34. E.J. Williams, WR (No. 50, 2020)
34. Shane Lee, LB (No. 50, 2019)
36. Fred Davis, CB (No. 52, 2020)
37. Marcus Banks, CB (No. 53, 2019)
38. DeMonte Capehart, DT (No. 54, 2020)
38. Ishmael Sopsher, DT (No. 54, 2019)
40. Frank Ladson, WR (No. 56, 2019)
41. Jase McClellan, RB (No. 65, 2020)
42. Brian Branch, S (No. 82, 2020)
42. Pierce Quick, OL (No. 82, 2019)
42. Brandon Kaho, LB (No. 82, 2018)
42. Brian Robinson, RB (No. 82, 2017)
46. Demarco Hellams, DB (No. 86, 2019)
47. Sheridan Jones, CB (No. 89, 2019)
48. Roydell Williams, RB (No. 90, 2020)
49. Quandarrius Robinson, DE (No. 94, 2020)
50. Mario Goodrich, CB (No. 99, 2018)
A few of the more interesting takeaways:
-- Three combined No. 1 players. Ten players who ranked as Top 5 prospects. Fifteen who ranked in the Top 15. What an incredible assemblage of talent.
-- Impressive and even a little surprising that Clemson gets more in the Top 25, with 13 to Alabama's 12. Going in to Alabama to snatch Justyn Ross from the Tide's grasp paid abundant dividends a year later when Ross and Trevor Lawrence picked apart Alabama's secondary, and it gives the Tigers more players in the first 25.
-- Alabama has suffered abnormal and maybe even alarming attrition with its top defensive recruits. Defensive tackle Antonio Alfano was the No. 5 prospect in the 2019 class but transferred to Colorado and was suspended two months ago. End Eyabi Anoma, the No. 7 recruit in the 2018 class, transferred to Houston and was dismissed earlier this year. End Jordan Davis, the No. 86 player in the 2018 class, went to JUCO and never enrolled. Linebacker Vandarius Cowan, ranked No. 67 in the 2017 class, was dismissed in 2018 and went to West Virginia. That adds up, folks. No wonder the Tide have looked mortal on that side of the ball the past two seasons.
-- Oh, and we forgot former 5-star Ben Davis. He was supposedly a can't-miss jewel of the 2016 class and has been a bit miss thus far with just four career tackles over three seasons.
-- Four players entered the 2020 draft with eligibility remaining: Receiver Jerry Jeudy (No. 19, 2017), quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (No. 53, 2017), safety Xavier McKinney (No. 40, 2017) and offensive lineman Jedrick Wills (No. 25, 2017).
-- A year ago the Tide got a grad transfer from Florida State with the addition of Landon Dickerson, the No. 43 player in the 2016 class. He became a starting guard and earned second-team All-SEC honors.
-- Weird stat that Clemson legend Tim Bourret would love: Alabama has claimed the No. 82 player in the Rivals rankings four straight years.
FROM THE TIGER FAN SHOP: Click HERE to see all of our officially licensed CLEMSON apparel and gear!
By: Larry Williams
From fans' perspective, there's so much about a rivalry that goes beyond what happens on that one day a year when the two teams meet.
Yes, the winner on the field gets bragging rights and all that.
But score is kept in so many ways other than on the scoreboard as fans cross paths in person and online.
So here's another way to keep score as the longing for next season takes on far more gravity than usual.
Let's see where Clemson stands against some of its rivals by combining the two rosters and ranking the top 50 players.
The criteria is pretty simple: Where each player was ranked by Rivals.com as a high school prospect.
The obvious flaw in this method is that sometimes the recruiting analysts get it wrong. Travis Etienne, for example, would unquestionably rank near the top of this list. But since he was a 3-star in the 2017 class, he didn't make the Rivals250 and thus doesn't make this Top 50.
Chris Olave is an outstanding receiver for Ohio State, but he was a 3-star in high school.
Even with that in mind, it's still fun to examine the raw numbers and see where Clemson stands compared to some of its chief competition.
So far we have examined Clemson vs. South Carolina (the Tigers have 34 of the 50 spots), Clemson vs. Ohio State (the Buckeyes have 30 of the 50) and Clemson vs. Florida State (Clemson has 30 of the 50 spots).
Now we turn our attention to Tuscaloosa and a football program you might be familiar with.
The Tigers and Tide did not meet in the 2019 College Football Playoff, snapping a four-year run of final-four showdowns (three of them in the final game). Clemson and Alabama split those four playoff meetings, the Tigers outscoring the Tide 125-116.
Though Ohio State and Georgia have emerged as intriguing contenders by virtue of excellent recruiting, it would be crazy to dismiss Alabama as long as Nick Saban is calling the shots on the field and in recruiting.
The Crimson Tide owns 29 of the spots in our Top 50.
Here's the breakdown:
1. Bryan Bresee, DL (No. 1, 2020 class)
1. Trevor Lawrence, QB (No. 1, 2018)
1. Najee Harris, RB (No. 1, 2017)
4. Bryce Young, QB (No. 2, 2020)
5. D.J. Uiagalelei, QB (No. 3, 2020)
5. Trey Sanders, RB (No. 3, 2019)
7. Alex Leatherwood, OL (No. 4, 2017)
7. Myles Murphy, DE (No. 4, 2020)
9. Ben Davis, LB (No. 5, 2016)
9. Xavier Thomas, DE (No. 5, 2018)
11. Evan Neal, OT (No. 8, 2019)
11. Patrick Surtain, CB (No. 8, 2018)
13. Trenton Simpson, LB (No. 11, 2020)
14. Andrew Booth, CB (No. 14, 2019)
15. Justyn Ross, WR (No. 15, 2018)
16. Jackson Carman, OT (No. 16, 2018)
17. William Anderson, DE (No. 22, 2020)
18. Chris Braswell, LB (No. 24, 2020)
19. Demarkcus Bowman, RB (No. 26, 2020)
19. K.J. Henry, DE (No. 26, 2018)
21. Joe Ngata, WR (No. 27, 2019)
22. Derion Kendrick, WR/CB (No. 30, 2018)
23. Jaylen Waddle, WR (No. 31, 2018)
24. Dylan Moses, LB (No. 32, 2017)
25. Demouy Kennedy, LB (No. 34, 2020)
26. Cornell Powell, WR (No. 36, 2016)
27. Drew Sanders, LB (No. 37, 2020)
27. Jordan Battle, S (No. 37, 2019)
29. Walker Parks, OL (No. 38, 2020)
30. Timothy Smith, DT (No. 42, 2020)
30. Devonta Smith, WR (No. 42, 2017)
32. Landon Dickerson, OL (No. 43, 2016)
33. LaBryan Ray, DE (No. 45, 2017)
34. E.J. Williams, WR (No. 50, 2020)
34. Shane Lee, LB (No. 50, 2019)
36. Fred Davis, CB (No. 52, 2020)
37. Marcus Banks, CB (No. 53, 2019)
38. DeMonte Capehart, DT (No. 54, 2020)
38. Ishmael Sopsher, DT (No. 54, 2019)
40. Frank Ladson, WR (No. 56, 2019)
41. Jase McClellan, RB (No. 65, 2020)
42. Brian Branch, S (No. 82, 2020)
42. Pierce Quick, OL (No. 82, 2019)
42. Brandon Kaho, LB (No. 82, 2018)
42. Brian Robinson, RB (No. 82, 2017)
46. Demarco Hellams, DB (No. 86, 2019)
47. Sheridan Jones, CB (No. 89, 2019)
48. Roydell Williams, RB (No. 90, 2020)
49. Quandarrius Robinson, DE (No. 94, 2020)
50. Mario Goodrich, CB (No. 99, 2018)
A few of the more interesting takeaways:
-- Three combined No. 1 players. Ten players who ranked as Top 5 prospects. Fifteen who ranked in the Top 15. What an incredible assemblage of talent.
-- Impressive and even a little surprising that Clemson gets more in the Top 25, with 13 to Alabama's 12. Going in to Alabama to snatch Justyn Ross from the Tide's grasp paid abundant dividends a year later when Ross and Trevor Lawrence picked apart Alabama's secondary, and it gives the Tigers more players in the first 25.
-- Alabama has suffered abnormal and maybe even alarming attrition with its top defensive recruits. Defensive tackle Antonio Alfano was the No. 5 prospect in the 2019 class but transferred to Colorado and was suspended two months ago. End Eyabi Anoma, the No. 7 recruit in the 2018 class, transferred to Houston and was dismissed earlier this year. End Jordan Davis, the No. 86 player in the 2018 class, went to JUCO and never enrolled. Linebacker Vandarius Cowan, ranked No. 67 in the 2017 class, was dismissed in 2018 and went to West Virginia. That adds up, folks. No wonder the Tide have looked mortal on that side of the ball the past two seasons.
-- Oh, and we forgot former 5-star Ben Davis. He was supposedly a can't-miss jewel of the 2016 class and has been a bit miss thus far with just four career tackles over three seasons.
-- Four players entered the 2020 draft with eligibility remaining: Receiver Jerry Jeudy (No. 19, 2017), quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (No. 53, 2017), safety Xavier McKinney (No. 40, 2017) and offensive lineman Jedrick Wills (No. 25, 2017).
-- A year ago the Tide got a grad transfer from Florida State with the addition of Landon Dickerson, the No. 43 player in the 2016 class. He became a starting guard and earned second-team All-SEC honors.
-- Weird stat that Clemson legend Tim Bourret would love: Alabama has claimed the No. 82 player in the Rivals rankings four straight years.
FROM THE TIGER FAN SHOP: Click HERE to see all of our officially licensed CLEMSON apparel and gear!
