Putnam icing on the cake for Clemson’s 2019 class
By: Gavin Oliver December 20, 2018

A day after inking 26 players on Wednesday, the first day of college football’s early signing period, Clemson added another signature from a major prospect Thursday.

Tampa (Fla.) Plant four-star offensive lineman Will Putnam committed to and signed with Clemson during a ceremony at his school Thursday afternoon. Clemson’s 2019 class is now ranked No. 5 nationally by Rivals following the pickup of Putnam.

The 6-foot-4, 280-pounder chose Clemson over finalists Auburn and Florida State. He is ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 4 offensive guard and No. 78 overall prospect in the country for the 2019 class.

Clemson offered Putnam back in early March and attracted him to campus for an unofficial visit less than a week later. The Tigers then got him back on campus for an official visit during the weekend of the Duke game on Nov. 17 and made a strong impression.

Putnam also took official visits to Auburn and Florida State in September and October, respectively. He had originally planned to announce his decision in early December but kept pushing it back as he struggled to make his choice. Ultimately, he sided with the Tigers on Thursday.

In addition to his finalists, Putnam held offers from Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas, Southern Cal and many others.

Putnam is expected to be a mid-year enrollee. He became the third offensive lineman in Clemson’s 2019 signing class and third from Florida, joining Pensacola’s Hunter Rayburn and Fort Lauderdale’s Kaleb Boateng.