Clemson has continued to replenish its pool of talent at the cornerback position this year. After bringing in a pair of top-flight cornerback prospects in each of the last two classes, the Tigers have done so again in the 2019 cycle and look to be loaded for the future.
Clemson’s latest major pickup at cornerback came Monday at noon when Lawrenceville (Ga.) Archer’s Andrew Booth announced his verbal commitment to the Tigers via social media.
Booth (6-1, 188) is rated as a five-star recruit per the 247Sports Composite ratings, while all of the major recruiting services rank him among the top 55 prospects in the country. Both ESPN and Rivals list him among their top 35 prospects nationally.
Tabbed as the No. 32 overall prospect in the 2019 class by the 247Sports Composite, Booth becomes Clemson’s second-highest ranked cornerback acquisition ever according to the composite rankings, behind only Mackenzie Alexander (No. 30 overall in 2013).
Clemson emerged victorious in what was a tightly contested battle for Booth’s services. Auburn made a strong push down the stretch and attracted Booth to its “Big Cat Weekend” in early June, but the ACC’s Tigers were able to fend off the SEC’s Tigers by getting him back on campus the weekend following his Auburn visit and then again for the All In Cookout on Friday.
With the addition of Booth, Clemson now owns commitments from an elite duo of cornerbacks. Booth joins Norfolk (Va.) Maury four-star Sheridan Jones as the two corners in Clemson’s 2019 class.
Jones (6-1, 175) was ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the 2020 class according to 247Sports before he reclassified to the 2019 class. He is now ranked as high as the No. 7 corner and No. 74 overall prospect for 2019 by ESPN.
This marks the third straight cycle in which Clemson has landed a top-ranked tandem of cornerback prospects. In the 2018 class, the Tigers signed four-stars Kyler McMichael and Mario Goodrich after inking five-star A.J. Terrell and four-star LeAnthony Williams the year before.
Terrell was ranked as the No. 13 overall player in the 2017 class by Rivals. McMichael and Goodrich were both ranked as top-100 overall prospects in the 2018 class by at least one service, while Williams was ranked just outside of the top 100 for the 2017 class by Rivals (No. 111).
Clemson also signed a highly touted cornerback in the 2016 and 2015 classes, in Trayvon Mullen and Mark Fields, respectively.
Booth gives Clemson its second five-star commitment from a cornerback in three years, joining Terrell. With Booth and Jones on board to go with the collection of talent the Tigers already have in place, they are in great shape at the position for the next three or four years.
Clemson has long staked its claim to the title of “Wide Receiver U.” Now, Clemson is starting to look a little like a “Cornerback U,” too.
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