Clemson’s 2018 recruiting class is currently comprised of five commitments, two on offense and three on defense. Cartersville (Ga.) five-star quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 2018 prospect, headlines a Clemson group that is ranked seventh in the country by 247Sports in the early going with all of the pledges rated among the recruiting service’s top 250 prospects.

The class will end up similar in size to Clemson’s 14-member 2017 class, as the Tigers are expected to take anywhere from 13 to 16 prospects.

Clemson has eight cornerbacks on scholarship entering next season counting 2017 signees A.J. Terrell and LeAnthony Williams. Ryan Carter and Marcus Edmond are rising redshirt seniors. Mark Fields is on track to be a senior in 2018, while Amir Trapp, Trayvon Mullen and Brian Dawkins Jr. are on track to be juniors in 2018 (Trapp a redshirt junior).

We think Clemson will take two to three defensive backs in the 2018 class, and at least one of those figures to be a cornerback.

We’ll start with the consensus No. 1 corner in the class, Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage five-star Patrick Surtain Jr. (pictured). Surtain Jr., the son of former NFL corner Patrick Surtain, is a consensus top-10 prospect regardless of position who holds over 30 offers. Clemson offered in May 2015.

Surtain Jr. made his first visit to Clemson on Jan. 28 for the school’s Junior Day, and Clemson will likely be on the list of top schools that he is expected to release this summer. The Surtain family hails from Louisiana, and LSU is believed to be his leader. Florida State is also a frontrunner, with Alabama, Clemson, Florida and Ohio State in the mix.

The Tigers are in contention for Surtain Jr.’s teammate, too, American Heritage four-star corner Tyson Campbell. Campbell, a top-100 prospect and top-10 corner by ESPN, Scout and 247, attended the Junior Day as well. He garnered his first offer from Clemson in October 2015.

Clemson strengthened its already solid standing with Campbell during the Junior Day. He told us after that Clemson is “definitely up there like they’ve always been” and that “the visit just made me like them even more.” LSU and Miami are others high on his pecking order.

Clemson offered Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian four-star corner Kyler McMichael in December, and he visited a month later for the Junior Day. He also competed at the Dabo Swinney Camp in June 2015.

McMichael, a top-250 prospect by ESPN, Rivals and 247, plans to release a top five before his senior season. Clemson and Florida are two schools that appear certain to make the cut.

Clemson has offered six defensive backs from Texas in this class, and one the Tigers have made a priority is Houston-Lamar five-star corner Anthony Cook. Clemson offered in May, and he visited in July. The consensus top-30 prospect and top-five corner has mentioned making a return trip this summer.

His recruitment is wide open right now, but Clemson, Ohio State, Texas and LSU are some schools he is thought to favor.

Among the other names we’re keeping tabs on are Carrollton (Texas) Hebron four-star corner Verone McKinley and Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake four-star corner Myles Sims, a former teammate of Terrell.

McKinley, a Rivals250 and ESPN Junior 300 member, named a top nine earlier this month of Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Texas A&M and UCLA. McKinley made his first visit to Clemson last June after being offered by the Tigers and returned for the South Carolina game in November. He told us recently that Clemson, LSU and Penn State are a few of the schools he is looking to get back to.

Clemson offered Sims in May. The top-100 prospect and top-10 corner by Rivals visited in June and has expressed interest in getting back to Clemson this offseason. A number of schools such as Auburn, Georgia and Clemson are in the running.