The Clemson Insider thought it would be interesting to analyze the matchups on Clemson’s 2021 schedule from a recruiting standpoint by going back and looking at where the Tigers’ projected starters were ranked as recruits versus where the projected starters for their opponents were ranked.
In this article, we break down Clemson’s game against Georgia at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. on Sept. 4. Below is a rundown of the projected starters for both teams, as it stands now, and their high school star ratings and prospect rankings according to the 247Sports Composite:
Clemson offense:
LT – Jordan McFadden (3-star, No. 819 national, No. 66 OT)
LG – Matt Bockhorst (4-star, No. 240 national, No. 17 OG)
C – Mason Trotter (2-star, No. 3403 national, No. 195 OG)
or C – Hunter Rayburn (3-star, No. 485 national, No. 28 OG)
RG – Will Putnam (4-star, No. 101 national, No. 5 OG)
RT – Walker Parks (4-star, No. 50 national, No. 5 OT)
TE – Braden Galloway (3-star, No. 858 national, No. 41 TE)
or TE – Davis Allen (3-star, No. 807 national, No. 39 TE)
WR – Joseph Ngata (4-star, No. 52 national, No. 9 WR)
or WR – Frank Lasdon Jr. (4-star, No. 39 national, No. 7 WR)
QB – D.J. Uiagalelei (5-star, No. 10 national, No. 1 QB)
RB – Lyn-J Dixon (4-star, No. 258 national, No. 7 APB)
or RB – Kobe Pace (3-star, No. 451 national, No. 32 RB)
WR – Justyn Ross (4-star, No. 45 national, No. 7 WR)
WR – Frank Lasdon Jr.
or WR – E.J. Williams (4-star, No. 69 national, No. 13 WR)
Clemson defense:
DE – Myles Murphy (5-star, No. 7 national, No. 1 SDE)
or DE – Xavier Thomas (5-star, No. 3 national, No. 1 SDE)
or DE – K.J. Henry (5-star, No. 14 national, No. 3 WDE)
DT – Bryan Bresee (5-star, No. 1 national, No. 1 DT)
DT – Tyler Davis (4-star, No. 137 national, No. 12 DT)
DE – Justin Foster (4-star, No. 156 national, No. 11 WDE)
or DE – Justin Mascoll (4-star, No. 142 national, No. 9 WDE)
or DE – Xavier Thomas
SLB/NB – Trenton Simpson (5-star, No. 26 national, No. 1 OLB)
or SLB/NB – Malcolm Greene (4-star, No. 282 national, No. 29 S)
or SLB/NB – Tyler Venables (3-star, No. 1128 national, No. 81 S)
or SLB/NB – Barrett Carter (5-star, No. 33 national, No. 3 LB)
MLB – James Skalski (3-star, No. 680 national, No. 44 OLB)
WLB – Baylon Spector (3-star, No. 609 national, No. 45 S)
CB – Fred Davis II (4-star, No. 43 national, No. 7 CB)
or CB – Mario Goodrich (4-star, No. 114 national, No. 4 ATH)
or CB – Malcolm Greene (4-star, No. 282 national, No. 29 S)
SS – Lannden Zanders (3-star, No. 781 national, No. 61 S)
or SS – Nolan Turner (NR)
FS – Nolan Turner
or FS – Joseph Charleston (4-star, No. 149 national, No. 13 S)
CB – Andrew Booth Jr. (5-star, No. 23 national, No. 2 CB)
or CB – Mario Goodrich
or CB – Malcolm Greene
Georgia offense:
QB – J.T. Daniels (5-star, No. 16 national, No. 2 QB)
RB – James Cook (4-star, No. 41 national, No. 3 APB)
or RB – Zamir White (5-star, No. 9 national, No. 1 RB)
WR – Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint (4-star, No. 55 national, No. 8 WR)
WR – Kearis Jackson (4-star, No. 130 national, No. 23 WR)
WR – Jermaine Burton (4-star, No. 82 national, No. 15 WR)
TE – John FitzPatrick (4-star, No. 316 national, No. 17 TE)
LT – Jamaree Salyer (5-star, No. 10 national, No. 1 OG)
LG – Justin Shaffer (3-star, No. 388 national, No. 23 OG)
C – Warren Ericson (3-star, No. 263 national, No. 5 OC)
RG – Tate Ratledge (4-star, No. 38 national, No. 3 OT)
RT – Warren McClendon (4-star, No. 227 national, No. 20 OT)
Georgia defense:
DE – Travon Walker (5-star, No. 22 national, No. 3 DT)
NT – Jordan Davis (3-star, No. 424 national, No. 29 DT)
DT – Devonte Wyatt (4-star, No. 6 national, No. 2 DT)
SAM – Adam Anderson (5-star, No. 18 national, No. 1 OLB)
MAC – Nakobe Dean (5-star, No. 19 national, No. 2 ILB)
MONEY – Quay Walker (4-star, No. 31 national, No. 2 OLB)
JACK – Nolan Smith (5-star, No. 1 national, No. 1 WDE)
LCB – Derion Kendrick (5-star, No. 26 national, No. 4 WR)
RCB – Ameer Speed (3-star, No. 356 national, No. 42 CB)
STAR – Latatvious Brini (3-star, No. 508 national, No. 50 CB)
FS – Lewis Cline (4-star, No. 45 national, No. 3 S)
SS – Christopher Smith (4-star, No. 306 national, No. 30 S
Notes:
On paper, Georgia is easily one of, if not, the most talented team that Clemson will face during the 2021 season. Georgia’s projected starting lineup consists of 11 former four-star prospects, eight former five-star prospects and 12 former top-50 national prospects. Clemson, meanwhile, is outfitted with plenty of four- and five-star prospects on both sides of the ball. The two teams appear to be evenly matched on paper, making the marquee showdown for this Saturday look like a potential playoff matchup.
**All ratings/rankings according to the 247Sports Composite
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