The top 50 recruits combined between Clemson and Florida State
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) and Clemson vs. Ohio State (the Buckeyes have 30 of the 50).
Now we turn our attention to the ACC, which Clemson has completely owned for the past five years.
Once upon a time, Florida State was the conference kingpin. The Seminoles won three consecutive ACC crowns from 2012-14 and claimed the 2013 BCS title while defeating Clemson four times in five years.
Now the Tigers have won five straight in the series, including a combined margin of 135-28 in the past three meetings.
Clemson owns 30 of the 50 spots in the head-to-head Top 50.
Here's the breakdown:
1. Bryan Bresee, DL (No. 1, 2020 class)
1. Trevor Lawrence, QB (No. 1, 2018)
3. Marvin Wilson, DT (No. 2, 2017)
4. D.J. Uiagalelei, QB (No. 3, 2020)
5. Myles Murphy, DE (No. 4, 2020)
6. Xavier Thomas, DE (No. 5, 2018)
6. Josh Kaindoh, DE (No. 5, 2017)
8. Trenton Simpson, LB (No. 11, 2020)
9. Andrew Booth, CB (No. 14, 2019)
10. Justyn Ross, WR (No. 15, 2018)
11. Jackson Carman, OT (No. 16, 2018)
12. Khalan Laborn, RB (No. 23, 2017)
13. Akeen Dent, CB (No. 25, 2019)
14. Demarkcus Bowman, RB (No. 26, 2020)
14. K.J. Henry, DE (No. 26, 2018)
16. Joe Ngata, WR (No. 27, 2019)
17. Jaiden Woodbey, S (No. 29, 2018)
18. Derion Kendrick, WR/CB (No. 30, 2018)
19. Cornell Powell, WR (No. 36, 2016)
19. D.J. Matthews, WR (No. 36, 2017)
21. Walker Parks, OL (No. 38, 2020)
22. Demorie Tate, CB (No. 44, 2020)
23. Baveon Johnson, OL (No. 45, 2016)
24. Asante Samuel, CB (No. 46, 2018)
25. Brandan Gant, S (No. 49, 2019)
26. E.J. Williams, WR (No. 50, 2020)
27. Fred Davis, CB (No. 52, 2020)
28. DeMonte Capehart, DT (No. 54, 2020)
29. Frank Ladson, WR (No. 56, 2019)
30. Hamsah Nasirildeen, S (No. 63, 2017)
31. Dontae Lucas, OL (No. 67, 2019)
32. Amari Gainer, LB (No. 79, 2018)
33. Cyrus Fagan, S (No. 81, 2017)
34. Warren Thompson, WR (No. 83, 2018)
35. Sheridan Jones, CB (No. 89, 2019)
36. Mario Goodrich, CB (No. 99, 2018)
37. Janarius Robinson, DE (No. 107, 2016)
38. LeAnthony Williams, CB (No. 111, 2017)
39. Will Putnam, OL (No. 120, 2019)
40. Paul Tchio, OL (No. 124, 2020)
41. Bryan Robinson, WR (No. 128, 2020)
42. Jordan Williams, DL (No. 135, 2017)
43. Mitchell Mayes, OL (No. 141, 2020)
44. Joseph Charleston, DB (No. 155, 2019)
45. Jaelyn Lay, TE (No. 157, 2019)
46. Stephen Dix, LB (No. 160, 2020)
47. Robert Cooper, DT (No. 161, 2018)
48. Taisun Phommachanh, QB (No. 168, 2019)
49. Travis Jay, CB (No. 172, 2019)
50. Tyler Davis, DT (No. 175, 2019)
A few of the more interesting takeaways:
-- It's almost a punchline to see Tyler Davis all the way down there at No. 50, way behind a load of players he's unquestionably better than. If we conducted a ranking based on performance and potential, Davis would be in the top 12.
-- Given Florida State's sorry state on the field the past two years, it's actually a bit of a surprise to see the Seminoles with 20 representatives on this list. But the top shows just how much they've fallen behind in the procurement of top-end talent, as Clemson owns nine of the top 11 players and 12 of the top 16.
-- Jimbo Fisher's final recruiting class, in 2017, was ranked No. 5 nationally (17 spots ahead of Clemson). But that class has suffered significant attrition: running back Cam Akers, ranked No. 3 nationally in that class, turned pro early. So did defensive back Stanford Samuels (No. 56). Defensive tackle Ja'Len Parks (No. 96) was medically disqualified in August of 2019.
-- The 2016 class also had a large number of members who left the school early: offensive lineman Landon Dickerson (No. 43) transferred to Alabama; tight end Naseir Upshur (No. 72) transferred to a Division II school; defensive tackle Shavar Manuel (No. 110) was disqualified because of an academic issue and left for community college; offensive tackle Jauan Williams (No. 146) entered the transfer portal after last season; offensive tackle Josh Ball (179) was suspended for dating violence and didn't return.
-- Corner A.J. Lytton, a member of the 2018 class (No. 73) was removed from the team in February. Defensive end Xavier Peters (No. 75 in 2018) transferred to Kentucky.
-- Willie Taggart and now Mike Norvell haven't brought in many decorated transfers. The most notable transfer to FSU so far is former Texas A&M running back Jashaun Corbin, ranked No. 179 in the 2018 class.
-- The Seminoles were a recruiting powerhouse under Fisher, but not so much lately. Since that No. 5-ranked class in 2017, FSU has finished 10th in 2018, 17th in 2019 and 21st in 2020. The Seminoles are currently 19th in the 2021 Rivals team rankings.
-- Clemson has 20 players represented from the 2020 and 2019 classes; Florida State has just seven.
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) and Clemson vs. Ohio State (the Buckeyes have 30 of the 50).
Now we turn our attention to the ACC, which Clemson has completely owned for the past five years.
Once upon a time, Florida State was the conference kingpin. The Seminoles won three consecutive ACC crowns from 2012-14 and claimed the 2013 BCS title while defeating Clemson four times in five years.
Now the Tigers have won five straight in the series, including a combined margin of 135-28 in the past three meetings.
Clemson owns 30 of the 50 spots in the head-to-head Top 50.
Here's the breakdown:
1. Bryan Bresee, DL (No. 1, 2020 class)
1. Trevor Lawrence, QB (No. 1, 2018)
3. Marvin Wilson, DT (No. 2, 2017)
4. D.J. Uiagalelei, QB (No. 3, 2020)
5. Myles Murphy, DE (No. 4, 2020)
6. Xavier Thomas, DE (No. 5, 2018)
6. Josh Kaindoh, DE (No. 5, 2017)
8. Trenton Simpson, LB (No. 11, 2020)
9. Andrew Booth, CB (No. 14, 2019)
10. Justyn Ross, WR (No. 15, 2018)
11. Jackson Carman, OT (No. 16, 2018)
12. Khalan Laborn, RB (No. 23, 2017)
13. Akeen Dent, CB (No. 25, 2019)
14. Demarkcus Bowman, RB (No. 26, 2020)
14. K.J. Henry, DE (No. 26, 2018)
16. Joe Ngata, WR (No. 27, 2019)
17. Jaiden Woodbey, S (No. 29, 2018)
18. Derion Kendrick, WR/CB (No. 30, 2018)
19. Cornell Powell, WR (No. 36, 2016)
19. D.J. Matthews, WR (No. 36, 2017)
21. Walker Parks, OL (No. 38, 2020)
22. Demorie Tate, CB (No. 44, 2020)
23. Baveon Johnson, OL (No. 45, 2016)
24. Asante Samuel, CB (No. 46, 2018)
25. Brandan Gant, S (No. 49, 2019)
26. E.J. Williams, WR (No. 50, 2020)
27. Fred Davis, CB (No. 52, 2020)
28. DeMonte Capehart, DT (No. 54, 2020)
29. Frank Ladson, WR (No. 56, 2019)
30. Hamsah Nasirildeen, S (No. 63, 2017)
31. Dontae Lucas, OL (No. 67, 2019)
32. Amari Gainer, LB (No. 79, 2018)
33. Cyrus Fagan, S (No. 81, 2017)
34. Warren Thompson, WR (No. 83, 2018)
35. Sheridan Jones, CB (No. 89, 2019)
36. Mario Goodrich, CB (No. 99, 2018)
37. Janarius Robinson, DE (No. 107, 2016)
38. LeAnthony Williams, CB (No. 111, 2017)
39. Will Putnam, OL (No. 120, 2019)
40. Paul Tchio, OL (No. 124, 2020)
41. Bryan Robinson, WR (No. 128, 2020)
42. Jordan Williams, DL (No. 135, 2017)
43. Mitchell Mayes, OL (No. 141, 2020)
44. Joseph Charleston, DB (No. 155, 2019)
45. Jaelyn Lay, TE (No. 157, 2019)
46. Stephen Dix, LB (No. 160, 2020)
47. Robert Cooper, DT (No. 161, 2018)
48. Taisun Phommachanh, QB (No. 168, 2019)
49. Travis Jay, CB (No. 172, 2019)
50. Tyler Davis, DT (No. 175, 2019)
A few of the more interesting takeaways:
-- It's almost a punchline to see Tyler Davis all the way down there at No. 50, way behind a load of players he's unquestionably better than. If we conducted a ranking based on performance and potential, Davis would be in the top 12.
-- Given Florida State's sorry state on the field the past two years, it's actually a bit of a surprise to see the Seminoles with 20 representatives on this list. But the top shows just how much they've fallen behind in the procurement of top-end talent, as Clemson owns nine of the top 11 players and 12 of the top 16.
-- Jimbo Fisher's final recruiting class, in 2017, was ranked No. 5 nationally (17 spots ahead of Clemson). But that class has suffered significant attrition: running back Cam Akers, ranked No. 3 nationally in that class, turned pro early. So did defensive back Stanford Samuels (No. 56). Defensive tackle Ja'Len Parks (No. 96) was medically disqualified in August of 2019.
-- The 2016 class also had a large number of members who left the school early: offensive lineman Landon Dickerson (No. 43) transferred to Alabama; tight end Naseir Upshur (No. 72) transferred to a Division II school; defensive tackle Shavar Manuel (No. 110) was disqualified because of an academic issue and left for community college; offensive tackle Jauan Williams (No. 146) entered the transfer portal after last season; offensive tackle Josh Ball (179) was suspended for dating violence and didn't return.
-- Corner A.J. Lytton, a member of the 2018 class (No. 73) was removed from the team in February. Defensive end Xavier Peters (No. 75 in 2018) transferred to Kentucky.
-- Willie Taggart and now Mike Norvell haven't brought in many decorated transfers. The most notable transfer to FSU so far is former Texas A&M running back Jashaun Corbin, ranked No. 179 in the 2018 class.
-- The Seminoles were a recruiting powerhouse under Fisher, but not so much lately. Since that No. 5-ranked class in 2017, FSU has finished 10th in 2018, 17th in 2019 and 21st in 2020. The Seminoles are currently 19th in the 2021 Rivals team rankings.
-- Clemson has 20 players represented from the 2020 and 2019 classes; Florida State has just seven.
FROM THE TIGER FAN SHOP: Click HERE to see all of our officially licensed CLEMSON apparel and gear!
