Predicting the final commitments for Clemson’s 2018 recruiting class
It’s time. After months of recruiting pitches, trips to various high schools across the country and visits to all kinds of places, National Signing Day is nearly upon us. Thanks to the early signing period, there won’t be as much drama (at least on Clemson’s end) as there has been in previous years. However, the Tigers will still be waiting on the announcements of a handful of players who will be making their announcements on Wednesday.
We’re going to run through each one Clemson is targeting and predict where landing spots. Things can change between now and Wednesday, and if they do, these predictions will be updated.
4-star WR Justyn Ross (Phenix City, Ala.) — Alabama, Auburn, Clemson
Justyn Ross, the biggest remaining prize for Clemson, will announce his decision in a televised ceremony at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Clemson has been the perceived leader for the majority of Ross’ recruitment, even though he’s never publicly admitted as such. The prospect of coming in at the same time as quarterback Trevor Lawrence is enticing, as is the Tigers’ track record for developing receivers into successful NFL players. Alabama made a massive late push to even the playing field, though, and the Tide may have done enough to secure Ross’ commitment.
Prediction: Alabama
5-star CB Patrick Surtain Jr. (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) — LSU, Alabama, Miami, Clemson
Patrick Surtain named LSU his leader on Oct. 27 — and his unofficial leader for almost 2 years — but he’s been open to visiting other schools and has made trips to Alabama, Clemson and Miami. Surtain has a close relationship with LSU secondary coach Corey Raymond, and both of his parents are from Louisiana. The gut feeling is that he stays with the Tigers.
Prediction: LSU
4-star T Richard Gouraige (Tampa, Fla.) — Florida, Clemson
Richard Gouraige already spurned Clemson once. He picked Florida over the Tigers when he committed in October, but the upheaval in Florida’s coaching staff prompted him to leave the door open. Gouraige visited Clemson and Florida — Ole Miss got a visit as well, even though the Rebels aren’t in the mix — and Auburn was involved before Herb Hand, the Tigers offensive line coach, left for Texas. I think Gouraige has heard the things he wanted from Dan Mullen and Florida.
Prediction: Florida
4-star CB Mario Goodrich (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) — Clemson, LSU, Oregon, Georgia
Clemson got in late for Goodrich — the Tigers offered him on Jan. 17 — but Dabo Swinney and Co. have done well in selling the program to him. Mario Goodrich officially visited three schools: Georgia, LSU and Clemson. He was supposed to visit Oregon, but he elected to cancel that visit after his trip to Clemson. Swinney has a reputation as a terrific “final pitch” guy, and it appears he might’ve sealed the deal on Goodrich.
Prediction: Clemson
3-star CB Trevon Flowers (Tucker, Ga.) — Clemson, Kentucky, Tennessee
Trevon Flowers, as we’ve talked about before, is an interesting case. He signed with Kentucky to play baseball but opened up his options after playing football for the first time during his senior year at Tucker. Flowers played well enough to earn a 3-star rating and secure a few Power 5 football offers, including one from Clemson. The Tigers hosted him for an official visit on Jan. 31, and he made trips to Kentucky and Tennessee as well.
Prediction: Clemson
4-star LB Dax Hollifield (Shelby, N.C.) — Stanford, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Clemson
What a whirlwind of a recruitment. Dax Hollifield wasn’t a part of Clemson’s plans, but then the Tigers expressed interest. They had to back off for a bit before surging recently. Hollifield didn’t visit Clemson over the weekend because of obligations at home, but his family came to Clemson to hear the pitch without him. Virginia Tech, Stanford and North Carolina are all in on him as well.
Prediction: Virginia Tech
