Tag: Elyjah Thurmon

Clemson offensive lineman Elyjah Thurmon out for the rest of the season

A big blow to the Tigers’ offensive line.

Clemson football’s offensive line took another significant hit in the Tigers’ 24-20 win over Pitt on Saturday, as left tackle Elyjah Thurmon went down with an injury on the first play of the game. Following the victory, head coach Dabo Swinney revealed that Thurmon suffered an ankle injury requiring surgery.

Thurmon will undergo a procedure known as a “tight rope” surgery, which involves inserting a small plate. Swinney confirmed that the freshman lineman is out for the remainder of the season but emphasized that the recovery timeline is relatively short. “He’ll be out for probably two or three months,” Swinney said. “Hopefully, we’ll have him back for spring ball.” The injury adds to Clemson’s offensive line’s growing list of setbacks.

Thurmon becomes the fourth lineman to be lost for the season, joining Collin Sadler, Dietrick Pennington, and Ian Reed. The Tigers were also without starters Tristan Leigh and Marcus Tate against Pitt, leaving an already thin unit scrambling. Thurmon’s departure forced Blake Miller to shift to left tackle and Walker Parks to move outside to right tackle, leaving little depth for the remainder of the game.

“It’s unbelievable,” Swinney said of the situation. “The very first play. I just could not believe it. But nobody flinched. Nobody panicked.”
Despite the adversity up front, the Tigers managed to grind out the victory, thanks in large part to late heroics from quarterback Cade Klubnik and a resilient effort from the defense. With the offensive line in shambles,

Clemson’s staff will be focused on finding solutions as they prepare to host The Citadel next weekend.

Dabo Swinney shares high praise for freshman lineman who ‘can play five positions’

Elyjah Thurmon has impressed Dabo Swinney.

Clemson football head coach Dabo Swinney is extremely high on true freshman offensive lineman Elyjah Thurmon, calling him a “rare jewel” with the ability to play anywhere along the offensive line. Swinney praised Thurmon’s versatility and talent, noting that he’s the kind of player who could contribute at all five positions up front. “He is truly a kid that can play all five positions, and he’s done that. He played center in high school, he’s played guard, he’s played left tackle, right tackle,” Swinney said. “We got us one right there, man — love this kid.”

Thurmon, a 6-foot-4, 310-pound lineman from Georgia, made his college debut against Appalachian State, playing 31 snaps. Swinney mentioned that Thurmon’s physical ability was never in question, and the main concern was how quickly he could mentally adjust to the college game. So far, Thurmon has proven he’s up to the challenge. “He’s very smart. Really the game comes naturally to him. He’s athletic, he’s big and strong. Way ahead of what a typical freshman is,” Swinney added. While Clemson’s depth allows the coaching staff to bring Thurmon along at a steady pace, Swinney suggested that in another year, Thurmon would likely already be starting for the Tigers.

Thurmon’s background as a multi-sport athlete in high school, where he competed in football, basketball, and track, has helped mold him into a versatile player. He also earned honors such as Under Armour All-America and Polynesian Bowl selections. Swinney explained that while they haven’t asked him to play center at Clemson yet, he believes it’s only a matter of time before Thurmon takes reps at that position, too. “He really, truly can be a kid that at some point could probably start at five different positions. He’s that strong, he’s that athletic, he’s that smart,” Swinney said.

Swinney remains excited about Thurmon’s future, emphasizing how important the game is to him and his incredible work ethic. “He’s going to really be a good football player. I think it’s very important to him. He’s physical. All you’ve got to do is watch him run. Like I said, he runs a lot of times like a D-lineman, and he’s really athletic,” Swinney said. With all the tools and versatility to excel, Thurmon is on track to become a key piece of Clemson’s offensive line for years to come.

Two Tigers tabbed as college football 2024 recruits who could play right away

These two Tigers could be immediate impact players in their first season with the team.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson coaching staff have done a great job recruiting in the 2024 class, even if some don’t seem to believe it. 

While the Tigers didn’t earn a top 5 ranking with this class, the talent is there, and this staff knows how to recruit. The people who were knocking Clemson for their 2023 recruiting class for not being strong enough probably feel pretty foolish now with the way that group played, and the same may end up being said for this 2024 class.

This class has top-tier talent, with 247Sports identifying two Tigers who could play right away for Clemson in 2024. One of which is offensive lineman Elyjah Thurmon. 

Clemson doesn’t go shopping in the portal, which means that the Tigers play more true freshmen than the average contender, including along the offensive line. That’s a role Thurmon could earn, based on the way that he performed at the Polynesian Bowl, where he dominated all week and earned a fourth star.

Thurmon comes with tackle and guard flexibility and, given the Tigers’ struggles to find a consistent presence at guard this past year alongside Marcus Tate, it’s possible that Thurman pushes for a starting spot from the jump. At worst, he projects as someone who can help immediately in the two deep.

Clemson desperately needs help on the offensive line, and while they do return a lot of talent, Thurmon could step up and be an immediate impact player. The Tigers’ offensive line needs a bump, and Thurmon could possibly be that guy.

The next new Tiger mentioned was their top recruit, five-star linebacker Sammy Brown.

We’ve seen it time and time again at Clemson: True freshmen tend to get on the field quickly. That includes at the linebacker position, where those like Barrett Carter and Wade Woodaz have played extensively as first-year players. Woodaz and Carter are both ahead of Brown on the depth chart, but there’s an opportunity for snaps with Jeremiah Trotter Jr. off to the NFL.

Few recruits are more physically ready to play on the college level than Brown. A 6-foot-2, 230-pound freakshow of an athlete, Brown should step in right away and compete for playing time. He’s got excellent instincts and is as physical as they come. Expect him to, at worst, be an excellent special teams player in 2024.

True freshmen do get on the field quickly at Clemson, and Brown is one I’m expecting to see early. The vacancy at linebacker for Clemson is real with the departure of Jeremiah Trotter Jr., and Brown will look to be the guy who fills the Barrett Carter role as Carter moves into Trotter’s former role.

Don’t be surprised if both of these new Tigers end up being early impact players.

Clemson Football’s 2024 Recruiting Class

Here is a look at Clemson football’s 2024 recruiting class after adding two preferred walk-on wide receivers.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson coaching staff did a phenomenal job with their 2023 recruiting class and look to strike the same magic they did in 2023 with their 2024 class. 

The 2024 class looks great on paper, and it looks like the class wrapped things up yesterday. The Tigers added two preferred walk-ons in wide receivers Parker Fulghum and Clark Sanderson, adding depth at wide receiver behind the two studs they have already in this class. 

With these additions, we have a clean, full look at what Clemson’s 2024 recruiting class looks like as the program prepares for the 2024 season. Below is a look at each recruit in the Tigers’ 2024 class and where they are ranked in the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Updated 1/31

12 Tigers in the final Rivals250 rankings for the 2024 class

12 Tigers landed in Rivals final Rivals250 rankings for the 2024 recruiting class.

For some teams, recruiting means a lot. For a team like Clemson, it means that much more.

Modern college football is very different from what some of us remember growing up. Year after year, the game changes and differs from what we once knew. Right now, the transfer portal is going wild as teams use the portal to build their teams. Each team is different with the transfer portal, but if you look at a team like Florida State from 2023, a majority of a team’s starting lineup can come directly through the portal.

That is not the case for Clemson, who simply doesn’t use the transfer portal often (or even at all, depending on the season). Therefore, recruiting means everything for Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program. Luckily for Clemson fans, Swinney and his staff are great at recruiting.

Rivals recently released their final Rivals250 rankings for the 2024 class, with 12 Tigers making the rankings. Here is a look at each of those Tigers and where they rank.

A look at Clemson freshmen midyear enrollees’ new jersey numbers

All Clemson freshmen mid-year enrollees have their numbers.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson coaching staff have recently rounded out their 2024 recruiting class, with many of that class already on campus and working with the team.

The addition of the new Tigers means new numbers. Each early enrollee has received a number and is now updated on the Tigers roster. According to 247Sports 2024 team recruiting rankings, the Tigers have the No.12 overall class, with their personal rankings having them ranked No.16 overall.

This class looks to be another strong one for the Tigers, with multiple top players across the country joining the program. Below is a look at all early enrollee’s new numbers in number order.

CB Tavoy Feagin — No. 6

WR Bryant Wesco — No. 12

CB Corian Gipson — No. 12

RB David Eziomume — No. 24

S Ricardo Jones — No. 25

S Noah Dixon — No. 27

WR Chase Byrd (PWO) — No. 29

S Joe Wilkinson — No. 31

LB Sammy Brown — No. 47

OL Elyjah Thurmon — No. 52

DT Champ Thompson — No. 56

OL Watson Young — No. 56

OL Mason Wade — No. 76

OL Ronan O’Connell — No. 77

PK Nolan Hauser — No. 81

DE Adam Kissayi — No. 98

 

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 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 big commitment from 4-Star OL Elyjah Thurmon

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers landed a big commitment from one of their top OL targets.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers just landed a huge commitment from an offensive line target.

Bradwell Institute (Hinesville, GA) 2024 four-star interior offensive lineman Elyjah Thurmon has committed to Clemson, an excellent landing for the Tigers. According to 247Sports composite rankings, Thrumon ranks as the No.24 IOL and the No.374 overall recruit in the 2024 class.

Clemson came out on top in this one after competing with teams such as Duke, Florida, Georgia Tech, LSU, Missouri, South Carolina and UCF for his commitment. The 6-foot-5, 275-pound offensive lineman will be an early enrollee as he looks to help bolster a Clemson offensive line that could use some serious help.

A great start to the day for the Tigers.

On3 Director of Recruiting’s new prediction has Clemson landing a 4-star offensive lineman

Clemson has received another prediction to land a highly touted offensive line target, this time from On3’s Director of Recruiting.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football coaches are working hard on recruiting, aiming to build on the success of the exciting 2023 class this season.

It has been so far so good in the 2024 class, with predictions suggesting that Clemson has an excellent chance to land one of the top linemen in the class. That offensive lineman is four-star Elyjah Thurmon, who was recently crystal balled to land with Clemson by 247Sports.

Not too long after this prediction, On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons added to the mix, also predicting the Tigers would land Thurmon. According to On3’s rankings, Thurmon is the No.13 interior offensive lineman and the No.223 overall player in the 2024 class.

This would be an excellent signing for the Tigers, who want to bolster their offensive line.