Tag: Da’Quan Bowers

Clemson football’s top ten recruits of all time

Clemson football has picked up some of its highest-rated recruits of all time in recent years.

Something Dabo Swinney has excelled at in his time as Clemson’s head coach is recruiting top-tier talent.

As Swinney and the program developed into a college football powerhouse, recruiting naturally took a turn along with the program. Sure, not every top recruit a team brings in may not live up to that ranking, but the ability to recruit those considered the best of the best in the country is always a bonus.

As the Tigers go through the 2023 recruiting cycle, I thought it would be fun to look at the top ten recruits in Clemson football history, according to 247Sports. 

From the highly touted quarterback of the 2022 class to a key piece of the Power Rangers, here are the top ten recruits Clemson has ever had.

Clemson football all-time roster: Defensive starters and backups

See which legends of defense made the cut in our all-time Clemson football roster.

A program with a long, rich history, Clemson has seen a lot of great teams with a lot of incredible talent over the years as the program has developed into a marquee name in college football.

Clemson has developed some incredible talent on the defensive side of the ball that has made the Tigers known consistently as one of the most dangerous defensive teams in the country year after year. From Christian Wilkins and the Power Rangers to Jeff  “the Judge” Davis, Clemson has produced some serious defensive talent.

Becoming a premier program more recently under current head coach Dabo Swinney, some of the defenses we’ve seen from the team in recent years are some of the best in college football history.

Wondering what an all-time Clemson roster would look like? We’ve got you covered! Clemson Wire and the rest of our College Wire sites recently put together our all-time program rosters.

Here’s a look at our choices for the Defensive starters and backups on Clemson football’s all-time roster.

See the all-time Clemson offense here.

Check out our other College Wire all-time defenses: Alabama / Auburn / Colorado / Florida / Georgia / Iowa / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / USC

Handful of Tigers make 247Sports’ top high school players since 2000 list

Clemson has recruited many talented high school players through the years, but in particular, five are regarded as some of the best high school players this century.

Football players begin to truly be under the spotlight in college, but as recruiting has become more and more of a spectacle, high school players have also increasingly drawn more attention.

Countless media outlets now cover college commitments, recruits’ school visits are tracked on a daily bases, and with name, image and likeness deals, some high schoolers are even establishing their own brands.

Still, their play on Friday nights is ultimately what allows them to play on the college stage, and for some, on the NFL stage.

To further compare the many talents at the high school level, 247Sports’ Joal Ryan recently compiled a ranking of the best high school players this century based on 247Sports’ all-time recruit rankings.

Five Tigers made the cut in the ranking, two of which are still with Clemson.

Here is where each of them ranks among the other 49 top prospects since 2000.

NFL draft history: Every player selected with the 51st pick since 2010

NFL Draft history: Looking at every No. 51 overall pick selected since the 2010 NFL Draft and the Eagles’ chances of landing an impact player

The buildup for the NFL draft is all about the first-round picks, but championship teams are built when the dollars aren’t guaranteed and some of the league’s all-time greats have been second round picks.

Philadelphia will have one second-round pick (No. 51 overall) in next week’s NFL draft and that selection could be used to target a wide receiver or edge rusher depending on how Thursday night turns out.

In 2019, the Eagles hit gold with Miles Sanders, but have been burdened by passing on DK Metcalf and Terry McLaurin for J.J. Arcega-Whiteside.

In 2020, Howie Roseman landed the teams current starting quarterback Jalen Hurts, and last year, a future All-Pro left guard was landed when Landon Dickerson was selected.

With the draft a little over a week away, here’s every No. 51 overall picks since 2010.

4-star North Carolina defensive lineman has ‘great time’ at Clemson

Clemson has been showing interest in this four-star defensive lineman, who was finally able to make his way back on campus Friday. New Bern (N.C.) 2023 DL Keith Sampson, Jr. took in Tiger Town and was shown around by Clemson defensive tackles coach …

Clemson has been showing interest in this four-star defensive lineman, who was finally able to make his way back on campus Friday.

New Bern (N.C.) 2023 DL Keith Sampson, Jr. took in Tiger Town and was shown around by Clemson defensive tackles coach Todd Bates, defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall and defensive player development coach Miguel Chavis.

He caught up with The Clemson Insider regarding his experience.

“The visit was really good,” Sampson told TCI. “I had a great time just getting to meet the coaches. I would say my favorite part about the visit was P.A.W. Journey, just because it was something different.”

This wasn’t Sampson’s first experience at Clemson. He’s camped at Dabo Swinney Camp in the past and had an opportunity to be coached by Clemson legend Da’Quan Bowers, who is now the defensive line coach at USF.

This time around, Sampson didn’t hear much from Clemson’s coaching staff about recruiting. This was more of a get-to-know-you type visit.

“We didn’t talk football a lot, this visit was more like an introduction, but they did tell me that they like my effort on the field and the fact that I am a leader and I’m always working, Sampson said.

Clemson’s relationship with Sampson is only beginning, but the Tigers have already made him feel at home.

“It’s still new, but at the same time, they made it seem like we have known each other for years,” he said.

Sampson has that quickness and level of versatility that’s often coveted at the next level.

“I would definitely say that I am not your average D-lineman,” he said. “I feel like my IQ is better. I am adaptable and I can play multiple positions.

“I have a quick twitch, so I feel like I get off the ball [quicker] than O-lineman most of the time and my hands are good and my speed,” Sampson added.

While his playstyle would certainly fit in at Clemson, what is Sampson looking for in a school at the next level?

“There has to be a brotherhood,” Sampson said. “I wanna make sure they have a good academic program for what I want to study and I want to have a good relationship with the players because they are who I will be with most of the time.”

Clemson can certainly hang its hat on the brotherhood within the confines of its locker room.

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