Clemson’s second junior day of the year is here. After holding their annual elite junior day in late January, the Tigers are set to host another group of top prospects on campus today.
One of the junior day headliners arrived to Clemson on Thursday for an extended visit in Lititz (Pa.) Warwick five-star Nolan Rucci, one of the top offensive tackles in the 2021 class.
Rucci (pictured above) most recently visited Clemson in October for the Florida State game. Penn State is viewed as the frontrunner, as Nolan’s father, Todd, was an offensive lineman for the Nittany Lions in the late 80s-early 90s. Nolan’s brother, Hayden, is a redshirt freshman tight end at Wisconsin, and the Badgers have been in the mix with schools such as Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan and Clemson. Nolan is looking to wrap up his recruitment by the end of the spring or early summer.
Priority Clemson wide receiver target Troy Stellato, a four-star from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons, is expected to be back on campus today after attending Clemson’s victory over Wake Forest at Death Valley in November.
On Christmas Day, Stellato released a top six that featured Clemson along with Alabama, LSU, North Carolina, Ohio State and Southern Cal. Since then, schools such as Auburn, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas and Texas A&M have offered him.
Stellato has been taking his time with the process and exploring his options, but his recruitment is believed to be boiling down to a battle between the Tigers and Buckeyes, and it is a close race right now.
Top Clemson linebacker target Barrett Carter of Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett returns to campus today for the first time since the Florida State game last October when he picked up an offer from the Tigers. Georgia is considered the favorite to land him, but Clemson is legitimately in contention. He is coming off a visit to Auburn last weekend and plans to check out Florida State on Sunday following the Clemson visit.
Carter will be accompanied by four-star cornerback teammate Jordan Hancock, who called Clemson his “dream school” when he announced an offer from the Tigers in January. Hancock, who was last on campus for the Louisville game two seasons ago, is nearing a decision with the Tigers squarely in the hunt along with schools such as Ohio State and Georgia.
The Tigers will also play host to several other defensive backs during the junior day, including St. Louis (Mo.) De Smet four-star cornerback Jakailin Johnson, a top-50 national prospect (No. 33 overall) in the 2021 class according to Rivals. Johnson announced a top six of Clemson, Florida, Missouri, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Southern Cal last month.
Gaithersburg (Md.) Quince Orchard three-star cornerback Ryan Barnes, Winter Park (Fla.) three-star safety Dakota Mitchell and Tallahassee (Fla.) Godby safety De’Shawn Rucker are all on the junior day guest list as well. Clemson offered Mitchell at the end of January before offering Barnes and Rucker in February.
Another notable prospect that will be on hand for the junior day is Will Taylor of Irmo (S.C.) Dutch Fork, a Clemson baseball commit that is getting interest from the football program and has been in contact with receivers coach Tyler Grisham. He has experience as a high school quarterback and worked out as both a QB and receiver at the Dabo Swinney Camp last June. Taylor also recently made a football recruiting visit to South Carolina.
Hopewell (Va.) five-star running back TreVeyon Henderson confirmed to TCI late Friday night that he would not be making the trip to Clemson after originally planning to be on hand for the junior day.
Oak Park (Mich.) four-star offensive tackle Rayshaun Benny had also been planning to attend the junior day but told us that there has been a change of plans and he might have to visit next week instead.
Stay tuned to TCI as we will have plenty of updates and reactions from Clemson’s junior day.
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