Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney welcomed nine freshmen midyear enrollees from the historic 2018 signing class to campus in January.
The group is tied for the biggest class of midyears for the Clemson program. Swinney also had nine midyear enrollees in 2015.
The nine newcomers began classes on Jan. 10 and can participate in Clemson’s spring practices, which start Feb. 28.
In the third installment of our Impact Freshmen series detailing Clemson’s early enrollees, The Clemson Insider looks at five-star offensive lineman Jackson Carman:
Hometown (High School): Cincinnati, Ohio (Fairfield Senior High School)
Height, Weight: 6-6, 346
Prospect ratings/rankings: 5-star, No. 2 OT, No. 1 state, No. 16 national (Rivals); 4-star, No. 2 OT, No. 1 state, No. 21 national (ESPN); 4-star, No. 4 OT, No. 1 state, No. 49 national (247Sports)
High school stats/accolades: One of the top players regardless of position in the nation… One of five finalists for USA Today National Offensive Player of the Year, quite a distinction for an offensive lineman… One of the top 50 players in the nation by all recruiting services… U.S. Army All-American… A finalist for the Anthony Munoz National Lineman of the Year, an award won by Clemson classmate Xavier Thomas
Strengths: As Dabo Swinney put it, Carman is “special.” He brings a rare combination of size, athleticism and power to the offensive line position. In the words of Swinney, Carman can “absolutely fly for a 350-pound man.” He is very physical and plays with the type of mean streak you love in a lineman. Carman is an intelligent and tenacious blocker that is adept at pulling, getting to the second level and blocking in space. He will be a leader for the Tigers up front in the future.
How he fits in: Clemson is not afraid to play true freshmen linemen. In fact, the Tigers started a freshman offensive lineman in the national championship games in both 2016 and 2017. So, Carman will have a chance to contribute in his first year. The Tigers return starting left tackle Mitch Hyatt and right tackles Sean Pollard and Tremayne Anchrum, while they lost each of their top three guards from last season. Clemson recruited Carman as a tackle, but the Tigers value versatility and emphasize cross-training up front, and offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell has said that he will see work at right and left guard in practice as well. Carman could certainly stake his claim to a tackle spot, but it is more likely he could earn a starting spot at one of the guard positions. Either way, expect Carman to make an impact on Clemson’s offensive line as a freshman.
Coach speak: Fairfield head coach Jason Krause on Carman — “He is a very talented young man. He moves extremely well. Having him at the point of attack and the ability for him to pull and get from one side to the other (were) obviously very big assets for us offensively.
“He plays with a fire and an intensity that really (was) encouraging for our other players, and I think that a lot of times he was a leader on the field by the way he played.”
–Staff reports contributed to this story
Previous installments in TCI’s Impact Freshmen series: