After signing the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class in 2020, per ESPN, Clemson is putting together a 2021 class that looks like it will be special as well. There is a long way to go before the cycle is over, but the Tigers currently own the No. 2 class in the country according to the 247Sports Composite, and they have a lot more upper-echelon talent in their crosshairs.
In our Looking Ahead series, The Clemson Insider takes a position-by-position look at the top targets on the Tigers’ board for the 2021 class. In this article, we focus on linebackers:
Clemson currently has one commitment from a linebacker in the 2021 class, four-star Jeremiah Trotter Jr., and is looking to add another.
Clearly at the top of the Tigers’ board is Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett four-star Barrett Carter (pictured above), the No. 54 overall prospect in the country according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
In February, Carter released a list of his top 11 schools which included Clemson, Alabama, Auburn, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, Ohio State and Oklahoma.
Clemson extended an offer to Carter when he visited for the Florida State game last October, and the Tigers helped their chances by getting him back on campus for their March 7 junior day. It certainly doesn’t hurt that one of Carter’s teammates and close friends, four-star cornerback Jordan Hancock, is committed to Clemson.
Carter is considered a Georgia lean, but Clemson is legitimately in the mix with schools such as Auburn, Alabama, Florida State, LSU and Ohio State in the discussion as well.
The Tigers have also been involved with a couple of linebackers from the Sunshine State, Graceville (Fla.) four-star Xavian Sorey and Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna five-star Terrence Lewis.
Sorey hasn’t been to Clemson since last summer when he picked up an offer at the Dabo Swinney Camp, but named the Tigers one of his top 10 schools in early March along with Miami, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Auburn, Alabama, Florida State, LSU and Tennessee.
Lewis was high on Clemson after receiving an offer last spring but left the Tigers off the top six he dropped in February featuring Florida, LSU, Georgia, Texas A&M, Nebraska and USC.
One linebacker Clemson has not offered to date but has been in contact with is four-star Collin Oliver of Edmond (Okla.) Santa Fe.
Oliver plans to announce his top eight schools on Friday. While Clemson doesn’t figure to make the list, Oliver told us the Tigers would “no doubt” be one of his top schools if they decided to offer him before he makes a decision. He is looking to commit before his senior season begins.
Some of the other linebackers in the 2021 class we’re keeping an eye on right now are Dallas (Ga.) Paulding County five-star Smael Mondon, Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances four-star Aaron Willis, Kernersville (N.C.) Glenn four-star Raneiria Dillworth, Brentwood (Tenn.) Ravenwood four-star Junior Colson and Norfolk (Va.) Lake Taylor three-star Malik Newton.
Get your official Clemson gear right here!
