Clemson has dispensed numerous offers to rising junior recruits since June 1, laying the groundwork with top class of 2022 prospects as it looks to put together another strong recruiting class for the next cycle.
In this article, The Clemson Insider gives an overview of the defensive prospects that the Tigers have offered in the 2022 class to date:
DE
Offers: Miami (Fla.) Monsignor Pace 5-star Shemar Stewart, Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep 4-star Kenyatta Jackson, Columbus (Ga.) Hardaway 4-star Mykel Williams
Stewart is ranked as the No. 1 defensive end in the 2022 class by multiple services. He picked up an offer from Clemson a couple of weeks ago and told TCI afterward it was an offer he had “always wanted,” adding that the Tigers are “high” on his list of approximately 30 offers. Jackson is the No. 51 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite player rankings for the 2021 class, while Williams checks in two spots behind him at No. 53 overall.
DT
Offers: Lakeland (Fla.) 5-star Gabe Dindy, Cordova (Tenn.) St. Benedict 5-star Walter Nolen, Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley 5-star Travis Shaw
After picking up a commitment from Payton Page for the 2021 class this week, Clemson is looking to land another elite defensive tackle from Greensboro in Shaw (pictured above), the second-highest rated player at his position in the next cycle behind only Nolen according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Both Nolen (No. 3) and Shaw (No. 13) are ranked among the top 15 prospects in the country regardless of position. Nolen played his sophomore season at Olive Branch (Miss.) High School and, after spending the early part of this year at IMG Academy, is returning to the Memphis area to play at St. Benedict at Auburndale High in Cordova, Tenn. Dindy told us after receiving an offer from Clemson earlier this month that Oklahoma and Clemson are two of his top schools right now. The Sooners are viewed as the team to beat for Dindy as several of his family members are OU alumni.
LB
Offers: Manassas (Va.) Stonewall Jackson 5-star Shawn Murphy, Montgomery (Ala.) Catholic 4-star TJ Dudley, Marietta (Ga.) 4-star Daniel Martin, Salisbury (N.C.) 4-star Jalon Walker
Murphy is the nation’s top-ranked rising junior linebacker per multiple recruiting services. He told The Clemson Insider recently that he expects the Tigers to be “a big part” of his recruitment and said it is one of the schools recruiting him the hardest in the early going, along with schools such as Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State, South Carolina and Tennessee. Last week, Dudley dropped a top six on social media featuring Clemson, Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, LSU and Oregon. He broke down his short list with The Clemson Insider here. Martin has a tie to the Clemson area as his grandparents live near Lake Hartwell, while Walker has a connection to Clemson defensive end K.J. Henry — Henry’s father, Keith, served as the defensive coordinator on Walker’s father’s staff at Catawba College from 2013-16. Walker’s father, Curtis, has been Catawba’s head coach since 2012.
CB
Offers: Houston (Texas) North Shore 5-star Denver Harris, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei 5-star Domani Jackson, Jacksonville (Fla.) Robert E. Lee 5-star Jaheim Singletary, Norfolk (Va.) Norview 4-star Daylen Everette, Maudlin (S.C.) 4-star Jeadyn Lukus, Apopka (Fla.) 4-star Nikai Martinez
Jackson (No. 4 overall), Singletary (No. 21), Harris (No. 25) and Lukus (No. 40) are all considered top-50 national prospects according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Lukus is a priority in-state target and holds the distinction of being the first class of 2022 recruit to receive an offer from Clemson when the Tigers began dispensing their initial offers for the cycle on June 1. Both Jackson and Singletary included Clemson in the top-10 schools lists they released earlier this month.
S
Offers: Williamstown (N.J.) 5-star Keon Sabb, Jefferson (Ga.) 5-star Malaki Starks, Hallandale (Fla.) 4-star Alfonzo Allen, Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman 4-star Zion Branch, Playa Del Rey (Calif.) 4-star Larry Turner-Gooden, Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley North 4-star Dasan McCullough
Similar to the cornerback position, Clemson has cast a relatively wide net at safety, extending offers to half a dozen rising juniors. The Tigers view Sabb and McCullough as hybrid safety/linebacker types a la Isaiah Simmons. Starks has family members who played for Clemson including his uncle, Jerome Williams, a tight end who played under Danny Ford from 1986-89. Allen visited Clemson last summer to participate in the Dabo Swinney Camp. As for Branch and Turner-Gooden, the Tigers are taking a crack at landing a couple of the top safeties on the West Coast, and they should have a chance to do so thanks in part to their national brand.
In case you missed it — Overview of Clemson’s 2022 targets: Offense
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