It may not have happened in the most conventional way, but by the end of Tuesday, Sterling Johnson became the newest member of Clemson’s 2015 class. The news initially came via the defensive tackle prospect’s Twitter account:
I would to thank all the schools who have offered but, It’s official, I am verbally committed to Clemson university ! #Tigers
— Sterling Johnson (@HighlightReal90) May 13, 2014
According to Tigerillustrated.com, Johnson had tried to commit to Tennessee earlier in the day, but the Vols wanted him to come up for a camp before they made a decision on whether or not to accept his pledge. Then, even after the Clayton, N.C., native announced on Twitter that he had picked the Tigers, it wasn’t until a couple hours later that Dabo Swinney accepted Johnson’s commitment during a phone conversation.
Johnson becomes the second defensive tackle in the Tigers’ class. He provides some much-needed depth to a Clemson D-line that’s losing Josh Watson, DeShawn Williams and Grady Jarrett from the interior after this season.
As a junior at Cleveland High School, Johnson totaled 80 tackles and eight sacks. The 6-5, 281-pounder also boasted offers from Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State and others, according to 247Sports.com.