Clemson currently has nine commitments in its 2021 recruiting class, which is ranked No. 5 nationally right now according to both Rivals and the 247Sports Composite.

In our “Reviewing Clemson’s commitments” series, The Clemson Insider takes another look at the future Tigers on board in the 2021 class, how Clemson landed them and what they will bring to the table when they join the team next year. In this article, we focus on Marcus Tate:

Profile:

Position: OL

Hometown (High School): Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (NSU University School)

Height, Weight: 6-5, 312

Power Five Offers: Clemson, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, NC State, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas A&M

Ratings/Rankings: 4-star, No. 7 OG, No. 18 state, No. 117 national (247Sports); 4-star, No. 17 OT, No. 19 state, No. 133 national (ESPN); 4-star, No. 18 OT, No. 16 state, No. 138 national (Rivals)

How Clemson got him:

Tate received an offer from Clemson while on campus during the Dabo Swinney Camp last June, despite the fact he did not work out. The consensus top-150 national prospect returned to campus for the Texas A&M game on Sept. 7 and then committed to the Tigers a few weeks later on Sept. 24.

Prior to his commitment, Tate was working with a top 10 of Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, Miami, Ohio State and Oregon.

There are a lot of reasons why Tate wanted to be a Tiger, and he felt Clemson to be the all-around right fit.

“It was just me,” he said. “Like, it fit who I was from being the family school that it is, to the fans to the atmosphere to just even the playbook. The playbook fit me. The coaches there are like mine, very down to earth. The offensive line coach is old school, like my coach, a very technical guy. It fit in the scheme of things. Even in the depth chart, the depth chart was convenient for me too, and the playbook was convenient for me. So, it was everything. It had my name written on it. I couldn’t miss the sign God was sending me to it.”

What Clemson is getting:

Tate is a two-sport athlete who also plays basketball for his school, and that shows up in his plus footwork on the gridiron. He takes good steps when run blocking and is solid in pass protection thanks in part to his athleticism and ability to move well, which helps him when pulling and blocking out in space as well.

The 6-foot-5, 300-plus pounder is strong at the point of attack, uses good hand placement, finishes blocks and plays through the whistle. His push was evident on film from his junior season, as he consistently drove defenders to the grass.

Tate played left tackle last year while helping NSU University School to an 8-3 record and the Class 4A state playoffs. He trains at both guard and tackle spots and is versatile enough to play anywhere on the O-line but expects to primarily be a tackle for the Tigers based on what he has heard from the coaches.

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