Clemson has had no trouble sealing the deal on elite defensive line prospects in the last couple of recruiting cycles. Looking ahead, the Tigers’ coaching staff is hoping the 2017 class is no exception.
On Monday, rising senior defensive end Jordan Williams took to social media to announce that he’ll be revealing his college decision on Aug. 6. Clemson is among the finalists for the consensus 4-star standout from Virginia Beach.
Earlier this month, Williams trimmed his list to Clemson, Ohio State, Tennessee, Virginia and Virginia Tech. He recently took an unofficial visit to Charlottesville, and according to TigerNet.com, he plans to visit Clemson before his announcement.
Williams would be a major pickup for the Tigers, who are breaking in two new starters at end this year in sophomore Austin Bryant and redshirt freshman Clelin Ferrell. So far, the team’s only defensive line commitment in the 2017 class has come from in-state end Logan Rudolph, who pulled the trigger on his recruitment in May.
Clemson has boasted one of the best defensive lines in the nation each of the last two seasons, and the coaching staff has set itself up well in that area for the future also. In 2015, in addition to Bryant and Ferrell, the Tigers signed two of the top defensive tackles in the country in Christian Wilkins and Albert Huggins. This past recruiting cycle, Dabo Swinney and his assistants also got the job done in signing coveted D-linemen Dexter Lawrence, Nyles Pinckney and Xavier Kelly.