Clemson currently has 10 commitments in its 2021 recruiting class, which is ranked in the top five nationally, and the Tigers have their sights set on nabbing some of the nation’s top talent for their final available spots.

Dabo Swinney has gone on record saying his program will sign around 18 players in this cycle, though we expect that total to increase by a couple or so before it is all said and done.

In this article, The Clemson Insider takes a look at what’s left for the Tigers in their defensive recruiting and gives an overview of the top targets on the board at each position:

Starting with defensive tackle, Greensboro (N.C.) Dudley five-star Payton Page is the only player at the position the Tigers have been pursuing. He released a top three of Clemson, North Carolina and Tennessee last month and wants to make a decision before his senior season. Clemson remains the favorite to eventually land him.

As for defensive end, the Tigers dispensed three new offers in the aftermath of Corona (Calif.) Centennial five-star Korey Foreman’s decommitment last month, with Vero Beach (Fla.) four-star Keanu Koht, Fort Washington (Md.) National Christian Academy four-star Monkell Goodwine and Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas four-star Dallas Turner on the receiving end.

The Tigers have also offered Winston-Salem (N.C.) Prep four-star Zaire Patterson, who named Clemson one of his top eight schools in April along with Kentucky, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Georgia, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Alabama. Clemson has one commitment from a D-end right now – Lakeland (Fla.) Christian School four-star Cade Denhoff – and intends to take at least one more.

Meanwhile, the Tigers plan to add another linebacker in this class to go with Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph’s four-star Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett four-star Barrett Carter is the bulls-eyed target, and as we wrote in this week’s Insider Report, we like where Clemson stands with him and expect him to make a decision sooner than later.

Moving on to cornerback, Clemson has a commitment from Carter’s teammate at North Gwinnett, four-star Jordan Hancock, and is looking for another corner to pair with him in this class. The Tigers have been involved with a bunch of prospects at the position, including Pinson (Ala.) Valley five-star Ga’Quincy McKinstry, Virginia Beach (Va.) Princess Anne five-star Tony Grimes, Miami (Fla.) Palmetto five-star Jason Marshall, Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake four-star Nathaniel Wiggins, Lafayette (La.) Christian Academy four-star Sage Ryan, Covington (Ga.) Newton four-star Nyland Green and Gaithersburg (Md.) Quince Orchard three-star Ryan Barnes.

Last but not least, Clemson wants to sign one or two safeties in this cycle. Some of the names we’re tracking are Austin (Texas) LBJ four-star Andrew Mukuaba, College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy four-star Khari Gee, Opa Locka (Fla.) Western five-star James Williams, Miami (Fla.) Palmetto five-star Corey Collier, Monroeville (Pa.) Gateway four-star Derrick Davis and Beggs (Okla.) four-star Kendal Daniels.

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