The Clemson Insider thought it would be interesting to analyze the matchups on Clemson’s 2022 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 season opener against Georgia Tech on Monday. 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 – Marcus Tate (4-star, No. 127 national, No. 8 IOL)
C – Will Putnam (4-star, No. 101 national, No. 5 OG)
RG – Walker Parks (4-star, No. 50 national, No. 5 OT)
RT – Blake Miller (4-star, No. 208 national, No. 16 OT)
TE – Davis Allen (3-star, No. 807 national, No. 39 TE)
WR – Joseph Ngata (4-star, No. 52 national, No. 9 WR)
QB – D.J. Uiagalelei (5-star, No. 10 national, No. 1 PRO)
RB – Will Shipley (5-star, No 32 national, No. 2 RB)
WR – Brannon Spector (3-star, No. 522 national, No. 60 WR)
WR – E.J. Williams (4-star, No. 69 national, No. 13 WR)
or WR – Beaux Collins (4-star, No. 86 national, No. 12 WR)
Clemson defense:
DE – K.J. Henry (5-star, No. 14 national, No. 3 WDE)
DT – Bryan Bresee (5-star, No. 1 national, No. 1 DT)
or DT – Ruke Orhorhoro (3-star, No. 745 national, No. 49 SDE)
DT – Tyler Davis (4-star, No. 137 national, No. 12 DT)
or DT – Ruke Orhorhoro
DE – Myles Murphy (5-star, No. 7 national, No. 1 SDE)
or DE – Justin Mascoll (4-star, No. 142 national, No. 9 WDE)
SLB/NB – Barrett Carter (5-star, No. 33 national, No. 3 LB)
MLB – Jeremiah Trotter, Jr. (4-star, No. 37 national, No. 5 LB)
or MLB – Keith Maguire (3-star, No. 442 national, No. 26 OLB)
WLB – Trenton Simpson (5-star, No. 26 national, No. 1 OLB)
CB – Sheridan Jones (4-star, No. 130 national, No. 15 CB)
or CB– Nate Wiggins (4-star, No. 118 national, No. 7 CB)
SS – Andrew Mukuba (4-star, No. 167 national, No. 8 S)
FS – Jalyn Phillips (3-star, No. 448 national, No. 37 S)
or FS – Tyler Venables (3-star, No. 1127 national, No. 81 S)
CB – Fred Davis II (4-star, No. 53 national, No. 7 CB)
or CB– Nate Wiggins
Georgia Tech offense:
LT – Pierce Quick (4-star, No. 40 national, No. 7 OT)
LG – R.J. Adams (3-star, No. 460 national, No. 23 OG)
C –Weston Franklin (3-star, No. 492 national, No. 36 IOL)
RG – Paul Tchio (4-star, No. 103 national, No. 3 OG)
RT – Jordan Williams (3-star, No. 561 national, No. 44 OT)
TE – Dylan Leonard (NR)
WR – Leo Blackburn (4-star, No. 350 national, No. 14 TE)
WR – Nate McCollum (3-star, No. 460 national, No. 67 WR)
QB – Jeff Sims (4-star, No. 223 national, No. 10 DUAL)
RB – Dontae Smith (3-star, No. 791 national, No. 21 APB)
WR – Malachi Carter (3-star, No. 1038 national, No. 153 WR)
Georgia Tech defense:
DE – Keion White (2-star, No. 3141 national, No. 141 TE)
DT – Zeek Biggers (3-star, No. 2253 national, No. 259 DL)
DT – T.K. Chimdeza (3-star, No. 558 national, No. 41 DT)
DE – Kyle Kennard (3-star, No. 814 national, No. 40 WDE)
WLB – Charlie Thomas (3-star, No. 667 national, No. 48 S)
MLB – Ayinde Eley (3-star, No. 403 national, No. 22 OLB)
CB – Zamari Walton (3-star, No. 1194 national, No. 105 CB)
SS – Jaylon King (4-star, No. 318 national, No. 15 ATH)
FS – Derrik Allen (4-star, No. 106 national, No. 9 S)
CB – Myles Sims (4-star, No. 170 national, No. 17 CB)
NB – Lamiles Brooks (4-star, 255 national, No. 17 CB)
Notes: When looking at the recruiting rankings, it is easy to see there is a vast talent differential between the Tigers and Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech’s projected starting lineups include eight former four-star prospects. Clemson has a total of 12 four-star prospects in its projected starting lineups. The Tigers also have six former five-star prospects that are projected starters, and Georgia Tech has none. The majority of Clemson’s projected starters include players that were ranked as top-150 national prospects, while Georgia Tech has only three such players.
**All ratings/rankings according to the 247Sports Composite
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