Tag: Clemson 2024 recruiting class

Garrett Riley on Clemson’s 2024 class: ‘I feel like we’ve hit a home run with a lot of these guys’

Garrett Riley likes what he sees with Clemson’s 2024 recruiting class.

Much of the 2024 Clemson recruiting class looks excellent on paper, and the coaching staff seems very excited with what they have.

The program brought in some huge names in this class on offense, led by 5-star wide receiver Bryant Wesco. As the Tigers prepare for their bowl game, offensive coordinator Garrett Riley took the time to discuss his feelings about this class.

“Can’t wait. I feel like we’ve hit a home run with a lot of these guys and really addressed needs that were going to need for this upcoming season,” Riley said.

“Big thing is a lot of these guys are coming in in January. To really be able to hit the ground running and insert them into our team and see what that’s going to look like in spring football is going to be a huge addition for us.”

The only recruit on the offensive side of the ball practicing with the Tigers right now is running back David Eziomume, but the program expects many of them to join Clemson for spring ball. The program needs to hit on this class as there is a desperate need for help on the offensive side of the ball.

Swinney on Hauser: ‘He’s the best kicker in the country’

Dabo Swinney shared high praise for Clemson’s newest kicker.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program are bringing in one of the top kickers in the country in their 2024 class, but according to Swinney, he is the top kicker.

Clemson singing Nolan Hauser is a phenomenal kicker. He’s so good that he is a national record holder for field goals made in a high school career. An impressive feat, Hauser has hit a lot of field goals in his young career.
Swinney shared high praise for Hauser on early signing day.

“He’s the best kicker in the country. He’s kicked more field goals I think than that anybody ever I think he broke the all time high school record, maybe about halfway through the season this year. But you know, Hauser, he’s an athlete, he comes from an athletic family, obviously, his mom and dad were both athletes here at Clemson,” Swinney said.

Things get interesting at the position next season and Hauser should be right in the competition for starter. Clemson fans will expect big things from someone with a track record as good as Hauser’s.

ESPN on Clemson’s big additions at wide receiver in the 2024 class

Clemson got some much-needed help at wide receiver in the 2024 recruiting class.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson coaching staff did an excellent job recruiting in the 2024 class, with two of their biggest additions coming at a position of desperate need.

The Tigers hit in a huge way at wide receiver, landing five-star Bryant Wesco and four-star TJ Moore. According to ESPN, these two are the No.25 and No.92 overall players in the class. ESPN recently released an article discussing the most important recruit for each top 25 team ($$$), with Clemson having the two wide receivers named for them.

Clemson needs playmakers at receiver to give quarterback Cade Klubnik more help. The team finished the year ranked No. 62 among all FBS teams in passing yards per game, so adding in Wesco and Moore is a huge help. The coaches lost Beaux Collins, who was second on the team in receiving yards, to Notre Dame, and the player with the most receiving touchdowns on the team this past season was tight end Jake Briningstool with five. Wesco and Moore have an opportunity to make an impact early based on need and their ability.

The Tigers desperately need playmakers, and it looks like they have two in this recruiting class. Wesco is the one people are most excited about, but Moore’s tape has me believing he will be just as big of a contributor to this team sooner rather than later.

These two could be immediate impact players for the Clemson offense.

Dabo Swinney and Clemson no longer looking in the transfer portal for a defensive end

Like on the offensive line, Dabo Swinney and the Tigers are no longer looking to the transfer portal for defensive end help.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program entered bowl season to bolster their offensive line and defensive line, with the transfer portal seeming like something the Tigers might finally utilize. That is not the case anymore, as Swinney has made it clear that the program is no longer looking to the portal for help at either unit.

Rather, Swinney is comfortable where they are and with whom they have joined the program in this 2024 recruiting class. There are pieces all over this defensive line that can play, and we might even see one of the top Tigers on the defense line up on the edge rather than inside next season.

“I don’t see a portal situation. That was a position that we looked at. We kinda evaluate every position on our roster on the portal standpoint as a staff. And that was a position that, you know, with the guys that we have in-house and what we’ve been able to see from those guys, It wasn’t a position we wanted a portal guy because we’ve got a guy like Peter Woods that can play anywhere. So, you know, is there a guy out there that we think would come in and be better than that? We didn’t feel that. You know, so we focused on the high school kid,” Swinney said.

So, right now, the Tigers are done with the transfer portal, it seems. While they didn’t land anyone from the portal, at least we saw the head coach attempt to land some players from it… right?

Clemson isn’t completely closing the door on the portal, but right now, Swinney just doesn’t see where it will come into play for them.

“If you get a group of guys that aren’t with you in the spring, there’s no high school kids to get; you have to sign whatever you can get in the portal,” Swinney said. “So that’s just where we are today. If something changes, then you have to respond to that, but you have to base it on where you are; you know, I’m committed to the kids on this roster, and we really believe in our roster.”

Swinney on OL transfer portal misses: ‘You can try all you want, but they gotta choose you’

Dabo Swinney shared some updates on the offensive line and why it was difficult for the Tigers to land transfer portal offensive linemen.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson program were more active in the transfer portal than usual this season but failed to land any of their targets on the offensive line.

While this may be disappointing to some, Swinney is happy with where the Tigers are on the line. According to Swinney, the Tigers were hurt by this as they weren’t looking for a one-and-done player, but rather someone they could build the offensive line around for multiple years.

“I’m excited about where we are, and frankly, that’s kind of what hurt us with some of these portal guys. We really weren’t looking for a one-and-done guy. That really wasn’t what we needed,” Swinney said. “Because you bring a guy in, you’re going to lose somebody. We like our guys. We don’t want to lose any of those guys. We believe in Tristan (Leigh), Collin (Sadler), Blake (Miller), and those guys, Marcus Tate – these are guys that can play tackle and guard for us. We’re really excited about them and where they are.

“So, we were really looking more for – and we didn’t know how it was going to play out with Mason (Wade), we didn’t know how it was going to play out with Elyjah (Thurmon), and we ended up getting those guys, which is just a home run for us – but we were really looking for guys that maybe had at least maybe three years left. We felt like that would be a good fit for us.”

They are looking much better on the offensive line than they were before, but it is tough to ignore these transfer portal misses. You need to earn your place on Clemson’s starting lineup, and the head coach simply couldn’t guarantee any of the players they were after a starting spot.

“As I say, they gotta choose you. You can try all you want, but they gotta choose you, and it’s hard when you’ve got seven starters coming back,” Swinney said. “A lot of these guys are in the portal for a reason. They want to be the guy, and I can’t guarantee anybody’s going to be the guy. You get an opportunity to be the guy, but you’ve got to earn it.

“But thankfully, it all worked out, just worked out the way it was supposed to. Getting Elyjah and getting Mason really was big for us because obviously they’ll come in and compete right away but give us guys that have a lot of years ahead of them.”

We all wanted to see improvement on the offensive line from the portal, but that won’t be the case this season. The Tigers will bolster the unit with their 2024 recruiting class and continue developing their players on the roster.

Clemson’s top 2024 recruit 5-star linebacker Sammy Brown is officially a Tiger

After a long wait, 5-star linebacker Sammy Brown is officially a Tiger.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program have signed many players in their 2024 class today during the early signing period, with the class being headlined by five-star linebacker Sammy Brown, who is now officially a Tiger.

According to 247Sports composite rankings, Brown is the No.2 linebacker and No.16 overall player in the 2024 class. Brown will enroll in January as he prepares to become a focal point of Clemson’s defense and an immediate impact player. 

Across the country, you’ll have a tough time finding a recruit as athletic and impressive as Sammy Brown. The 2023 High School Butkus Award Winner was also named the MaxPreps Male National Athlete of the Year, an excellent honor for a player who excelled beyond just football. 

In his final season in high school, Brown recorded 153 total tackles, 12 for loss, and two interceptions while also being dangerous on the offensive side of the ball. At running back, Brown rushed for 2,289 yards and 36 touchdowns as one of the most dangerous dual-threat players in the country. 

Clemson fans should be thrilled with this signing, as Brown could very well be the future of this defense.

Clemson’s 2024 class hits big at wide receiver

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson coaching staff may not have landed a ton of wide receivers, but it is quality over quantity here.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program have repped the ‘Wide Receiver U’ moniker for a while, but it hasn’t felt like WRU lately.

The Tigers have talent at wide receiver, but we haven’t seen that same level of talent and explosiveness we’ve seen in years prior with guys like Mike Williams, Tee Higgins, Justyn Ross, and more. That could all change soon with the 2024 recruiting class, and the two stud wide receivers Swinney and his staff landed. 

It’s only two, but it is definitely quality over quantity here. Bryant Wesco and TJ Moore are the names, and they’ll look to get you to remember them sooner rather than later. Two of the top players in the class, according to 247Sports composite rankings, Wesco is the No.6 wide receiver and No.21 overall player in the class, while Moore is No.18 and No.89 overall. 

These two look excellent on film, and on paper, it’s tough to argue with their standing. Clemson has bolstered their wide receiver room with this class, and it makes an exciting future for this offense. 

Clemson football 2024 early signing period tracker

Here is a full early signing period tracker for everyone who wants to keep up to date with who the newest Tigers are.

The Early National Signing Period for football is in full swing, with the Tigers putting together what looks like another excellent recruiting class for their 2024 cycle.

Players across the country are signing their letters of intent as they prepare to take the next step in their football journeys. The same goes for Clemson, with multiple top players from across the country joining the program as they look to continue to build on Clemson’s success.

Wondering who has signed with the Tigers? We’ve got you covered. Here is a full early signing day tracker to check out all 21 new signees and learn more about Clemson’s newest players.

Clemson lands commitment from 2024 linebacker CJ Kubah-Taylor

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers landed a 2024 linebacker out of Maryland.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers landed a linebacker in the 2024 class Tuesday as he announced his commitment to Clemson.

Good Counsel High School (Olney, Md.) linebacker CJ Kubah-Taylor is now committed to the Tigers, joining teammate, four-star defensive end Darien Mayo as a member of Clemson’s 2024 class. It is a strong pickup for the Tigers, with Kubah-Taylor earning a first-team all-conference linebacker this past season at Good Counsel.

While he may not have a star ranking on 247Sports, Rivals, or On3, Swinney and his staff wouldn’t be offering him if they didn’t see something in him. Clemson continues to build their 2024 class as they also prepare for the Gator Bowl.

Clemson lands commitment from Peach State safety, flips from App State

Clemson landed a Peach State safety after flipping his commitment from App State.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers have flipped a three-star safety who was originally committed to App State.

Rome (Ga.) 2024 safety Joe Wilkinson took to social media Tuesday to announce his commitment to play at Clemson. Wilkinson took an official visit to Clemson this weekend, and the Tigers’ must have left an impression.

Wilkinson de-committed from App State on Sunday, giving the Tigers a window to land the Peach State safety. According to 247Sports composite rankings, Wilkinson is the No.187 safety and the No.1899 overall player in the 2024 class.

Clemson now has 19 total commitments in their 2024 class, and we should expect a few more commitments down the line.