Tiger Tracker: All Clemson Recruiting Mailbag
You've got recruiting questions and we have the answers.
Welcome to All Clemson's recruiting mailbag, where each week we will answer your recruiting questions. Or we will at least attempt to do so, as recruiting is a world with many moving parts and an ever-changing landscape.
With that in mind, let's dive in.
Mailbag
Clarke: How do things look for 2023 OL Markee Anderson, the No. 1 rated athlete in SC? I watched his father’s video and they seem impressed.
Yeah, I saw the video, and no doubt he and his family appeared to thoroughly enjoy the official visit to Clemson the first weekend in June. Anderson appears to be on track to make a commitment before the start of his senior season, meaning his recruitment is starting to wind down.
He has taken official visits to Clemson, LSU and North Carolina this month and will be at South Carolina this weekend before the start of the dead period on Monday. Those are the four finalists.
As for where Clemson stands, I would classify Anderson as a fairly strong South Carolina lean, with North Carolina also in it. It would not surprise me at all to see him and Dorman teammate, 2023 OL D.J. Geth, both end up as Gamecocks. Anderson has spoken publicly about a desire for both to play together at the next level.
However, all is not lost. The Tigers look to be locking up a fairly strong class of offensive linemen. Ian Reed is already on board, and Zecharia Owens, an All Clemson projection to the Tigers, is set to announce on July 4. All Clemson has also projected Harris Sewell, out of Odessa, Texas, to the Tigers as well. All three are blue-chip prospects and would give Thomas Austin a top-notch group in his first recruiting class.
David W.: How many offensive linemen is Clemson taking in this year's class and are any currently Clemson leans?
I expect the Tigers to take a minimum of three offensive linemen in the 2023 class, possibly even four. As for any guys currently leaning Clemson's way, see my answer above.
David S.: Do you think we land one of T.J. Searcy or Keldric Faulk at defensive end? I know AJ Hoffler just committed and Hunter Osborne could possibly get on board but figure Clemson may only take one more after that. Hoping for Searcy or Faulk if we can’t get both of them.
Of those three uncommitted players, I would put Osborne with the best odds to end up at Clemson. I think Searcy and Faulk are more likely to end up elsewhere.
Faulk is set to announce on July 5, with Clemson, Auburn, Florida State and Florida being the finalists. He is coming off a visit to Florida and will be at Florida State this weekend. He has also taken visits to Clemson and Tennessee this month. I would take the field over the Tigers at this point.
Searcy is also likely to make a decision before the end of the summer. He's officially visited Clemson, Florida and Tennessee this month and will be at South Carolina this weekend. A gut feeling says he's leaning towards Tennessee or Florida.
As for how many defensive ends the Tigers take, I think the number is three, but could go to four, depending on the player. Right now they have commitments from two, David Ojiegbe and AJ Hoffler.
Do you have any recruiting questions that you want to ask? If so, just let us know. Shoot us an email at jp@clemsonmaven.io or shoot us a DM on Twitter.
The Tigers, who went 10-3 in 2021 and finished 14th in the final Associated Press Poll, are the fourth team on FanDuel Sportsbook's list to win it all in 2022.
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