Clemson football recruiting for the class of 2018 continues to heat up, but it’s never too early to take a peek ahead at the crop of prospects for 2019.
In this part of our “Looking Ahead” feature, The Clemson Insider looks at where the Tigers stand right now with their current running back targets:
Quavaris Crouch, Charlotte, N.C. (Harding University High):
Crouch, the nation’s No. 2 running back in the 2019 class according to 247Sports, has visited Clemson numerous times. He competed at the Dabo Swinney Camp last summer before going to Clemson’s games against Louisville and South Carolina last season. More recently, he attended Clemson’s junior day in March and returned to watch a spring practice later that month.
Clemson offered Crouch (6-2, 225) during the March junior day. His offer sheet features some of the nation’s top programs, including Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Stanford and Tennessee.
Crouch told TCI in the spring that he has gotten comfortable at Clemson and is a big fan of the football operations facility, calling it by “far the best.”
Crouch is taking his time with the recruiting process, doing his due diligence and researching schools. His recruitment will gain more clarity as he makes more visits moving forward, but Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and South Carolina are some of the schools he is high on in the early going. Academics and player development are two factors he is looking closely at.
As a sophomore, Crouch rushed for 1,224 yards and 17 touchdowns in 10 games while averaging 7.3 yards per attempt.
Devyn Ford, Stafford, Va. (North Stafford High):
Ford (5-11, 185) is ranked as a top-10 running back and top-100 overall prospect in the class of 2019. His lengthy offer list includes schools such as Clemson, Auburn, Georgia, Ohio State, Penn State and Tennessee.
Clemson offered Ford last spring and has gotten him on campus a few times since, including for the Louisville game last season and the junior day in March.
Ford told us recently that he is looking to make a decision after his junior season. He has spoken highly of Clemson and has mentioned Ohio State, Penn State and Virginia Tech as a few of the schools standing out right now.
Among the other running backs we’re tracking are Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy’s Noah Cain, Irmo (S.C.)’s Kendrell Flowers, Rome (Ga.)’s Jamious Griffin, Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech’s Jaren Mangham and Valdosta (Ga.) Lowndes’ Travis Tisdale.
Flowers, Griffin and Mangham all competed at the Swinney Camp in June. Tisdale visited for the spring game in April.
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