When Dave Clawson arrived at Wake Forest, he knew that addressing the offensive line had to be his top priority.
Over three seasons, Clawson and his staff have added impressive recruits, such as Justin Herron, Nate Gilliam, Je’Vionte’ Nash and Taleni Suhren. Suhren, who was in last year’s recruiting class, is one of the highest-rated offensive linemen the school has ever landed.
That nice, slow build-up to Suhren makes this year’s set of offensive line recruits seem even stranger. Instead of continuing to sign highly rated linemen, Clawson and his staff have gone significantly backward — at least according to the ratings.
The Deacons have commitments from four offensive linemen so far in the 2017 class:
- Allan Rappleyea (6-5, 265; Milton, Mass.), ranked as the No. 170 tackle nationally. He had offers from Ivy League schools and Buffalo, among others.
- Zach Tom (6-4, 270; Baton Rouge, La.), ranked as the No. 176 tackle nationally. He decommitted from Southern Miss and had offers from Nicholls State, Louisiana-Monroe and others.
- Sean Maginn (6-4, 270; Suwanee, Ga.), ranked the No. 121 guard nationally. He decommitted from Arkansas State and had offers from Air Force, Appalachian State, Tulane and others.
- Loic Nya (6-3, 265; Silver Spring, Md.), unranked. He had offers from Coastal Carolina, Fordham and others.
(Note: 247Sports’ composite listings used for recruiting rankings)
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