Clemson recruiting coordinator: "We can get anybody and everybody"

Clemson nabbed K.J. Henry out of North Carolina

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Dec 23 08:01:03 GMT-04:00 2017

CLEMSON –Wednesday was a good day for the Clemson Tigers, and recruiting coordinator Brandon Streeter says it shows the Tigers can get anybody and everybody.

Wednesday was the first day of the new early signing period, meaning high school prospects could sign binding national letters of intent with the school of their choice. In all, Clemson signed 15 players, including 10 who had 4- and 5-star ratings according to the 24/7 composite rankings.

Five of those players ranked No. 1 in their respected states, the first time that has happened in Clemson history. Those five players are offensive tackle Jackson Carman (Ohio), defensive end K.J. Henry (North Carolina), wide receiver Derion Kendrick (South Carolina), defensive end Xavier Thomas (Florida) and quarterback Trevor Lawrence (Georgia).

Clemson’s class is currently ranked No. 10 by Rivals, No. 5 by ESPN and No. 7 by 247Sports composite, despite having only 15 signees, showing just how good things are these days.

“When you get recognized from somebody other than the program you’re going to, and other people are saying that they’re the number one player at their position, that’s awesome,” Streeter said Thursday. “That means we can get anybody and everybody. And that has helped us go to the next level in recruiting, and that’s helped us get guys from not only right here, but wherever it takes.”

Perhaps the biggest coup for the Clemson coaching staff was getting Carman, the number one tackle in the 2018 class, out of Ohio. Carman was long considered a lean to the Buckeyes, but the Tigers and offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell were patient. In the end, Carman chose Clemson over his home-state Buckeyes.

“It says a lot about what we’re about here. When you’re beating teams like Ohio State for the number one player in their state, that says a lot of good things,” Streeter said. “It says a lot about the people. And that’s the neatest thing about this place is if we can get guys to come on our campus and meet as many people as possible, it’s such an advantage, because we don’t just talk it.

“People can feel it and sense it and touch it when they get on our campus. Obviously, the facilities are kind of the icing on the cake. But we’re second to none as far as that’s concerned, too, so that definitely helps. Jackson only came on campus a couple of times. It reminds me of Travis Etienne, who came in only one time last year and then committed the next weekend.”

Streeter says he is a fan of the early signing period.

“You know what you have by January,” he said. “You have your exact numbers and you know what to focus on. I think that it helps you prepare for the future, because you know what you are getting and you are locking down those spots. It really helps you going into the future in your recruiting.”

Clemson has always recruited well in South Carolina, Florida, North Carolina and Georgia, but that recruiting footprint is expanding.

“We are getting people from a little bit further away. The way we look at that is, we still want to be heavy in the closer areas,” Streeter said. “We still want to swarm South Carolina and hit hard the closer areas. But we are going to go out and get guys, especially if they show interest. We are not going to actively stay out in California or even in Texas for weeks, but we will go out there if there is a guy that shows interest in us first.

“That is the difference in our footprint is that we've had guys chasing us from further away and we've had to decide if they are a fit for us. If they are a fit for us we will spend that money and go out there and make sure we go recruit those guys. If they come to us and we see that fit and they fit that mold we will go out to wherever we need to and go get them.”