****McFadden Commits to Clemson
Clemson picked up a commitment from Dorman High School star Jordan
McFadden from Roebuck, the top offensive lineman in South Carolina, and prior
to today, a Virginia Tech commit. Things started trending Clemson Orange
back when the Tigers offered him mid-season, and since then it’s been more of a
"when" rather than "if" McFadden would flip to the
Tigers.
McFadden will remind a lot of Clemson fans of Brandon Thomas—one
of a few Dorman-Clemson-NFL players over the years. He’s very athletic and has
superb footwork for a big man. McFadden is destined to play tackle at Clemson.
Stay tuned for more on the McFadden commitment as we update
you on the latest in Clemson recruiting!
****KJ Henry Commitment Watch!
One school is going to receive an early Christmas present
from Santa: one of five finalists for the Tar Heel State’s top prospect in
2018. K.J. Henry is set to announce on the 20th of December from a list
that includes Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, Virginia Tech and South Carolina. We
expect him to sign next week on the 20th, the first-ever early
signing period, so this will be similar to a National Signing Day announcement.
Henry has been on Clemson’s radar since a performance at the
Dabo Swinney camp back in June of 2015. As far as an up-to-date pecking
order, we believe from sources around Henry that it's the Tigers and
Hokies in that order from what we are hearing with regard to the top defensive target
on the Tigers’ board for this 2018 class. The other 3 are all on the outside
looking in.
We plan to be on site for his commitment at Henry’s high school
in Charlotte and will stream it for you LIVE here on CUTigers.com!
So stay tuned as we continue to track the 5-star from Charlotte with
the commitment to his college of choice quickly approaching.
Clemson DE Prospect K.J. Henry (24)
****Clemson Commit Receives In Home Visit at the Beach
Mike Jones, Jr. of IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, a 2018 Clemson
commit, tweeted today as the coaches stopped by to see him for his in-home
visit. They decided to take to the beach, and in rare fashion, the in-home
was conducted on the sand and surf of sunny Florida.
Ironically, the upstate of South Carolina was hit with a rare
winter storm at the time, so Dabo and the coaches were able to benefit from the
rigors of recruiting this time. Note that fellow Clemson commit Xavier
Thomas is also in the above photo, as well as a potential Clemson flip! Newly
minted 5-star DB Brendan “Bookie” Radley-Hiles (grey sweatshirt) is a Nebraska
commit, but we believe he is presently trending to Clemson. Keep your eyes
peeled here at CUTigers.com as we track his recruitment!
****Shrine Bowl Features Clemson Commits and Prospects
Clemson WR Commit Derion Kendrick
Jake Venables and Derion Kendrick after Shrine Bowl practice
2017 Shrine Bowl practices have been taking place this week in
nearby Spartanburg, SC on the campus of Dorman High School, and CUTigers has been
on hand for the sessions as the teams worked out and game-planned for
Saturday's annual Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas.
Clemson commits Jake Venables (LB) and Derion Kenderick (WR) are
on the South Carolina squad, and the Tar Heel team has high-valued Clemson DE
target K.J. Henry on its roster.
We will be in the press box and down on the field on Saturday
for the big game and will have a photo gallery, video clips and much more to
share including interviews with the Clemson recruits. Kickoff is 2:00 on
Saturday at Wofford College.
So stay tuned right here for our Shrine Bowl wrap-up, including
a full gallery of this week’s practices!
****Cade Mays Receives
In-Home Visit with Clemson Coaches
Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney and Coach Robbie Caldwell made
the trip into the Volunteer State last night and had their in-home visit with
Knoxville Catholic 5-star OT Cade Mays, who visited Tiger Town in November for The
Citadel game on his official visit. The former Tennessee commit is down to Clemson
and Georgia, with an official visit to Athens unfolding this weekend.
As of today, we see it 55-45 with a slight Clemson edge.
However, Georgia have the luxury of the last official visit, and that is going
to be a heck of a situation for the Tigers to overcome. Mays is set to
announce on the 20th of December—the early signing period and the same day as
K.J. Henry. So stay tuned right here as we plan to track Cade all the way up to
announcement!
****2018 Clemson
Commit Named Gatorade SC Player of the Year
2018 Clemson WR Commit
Derion Kendrick
Gatorade Press Release:
CHICAGO (December 11, 2017) — In its 33rd year of honoring the
nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, announced Derion
Kendrick of South Pointe High School as its 2017-18 Gatorade South
Carolina Football Player of the Year. Kendrick is the first Gatorade South
Carolina Football Player of the Year to be chosen from South Pointe High School.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic
excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary
character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Kendrick as South
Carolina’s best high school football player. Now a finalist for the prestigious
Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award to be announced in
December, Kendrick joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in
12 sports, including Mitchell Trubisky (2012-13, Mentor High School, Ohio),
Greg Olsen (2002-03, Wayne Hills High School, N.J.), Matthew Stafford (2005-06
Highland Park High School, Texas), Harrison Smith (2006-07 Knoxville Catholic
High School, Tenn.), Latavius Murray (2007-08, Onondaga High School, N.Y.),
Brock Osweiler (2008-09, Flathead High School, Mont.) and Leonard Fournette
(2014-15 & 2012-13, St. Augustine High School, La.).
The 6-foot, 181-pound senior quarterback led the Stallions to a
15-0 record and a fourth-straight Class AAAA state championship this past season.
Kendrick completed 186-of-256 passes for 2,693 yards and 30 touchdowns against
just six interceptions. He also rushed for 1,195 yards and 19 TDs, throwing and
running for a combined 19 touchdowns in five postseason games. The 2016 Herald
All-Area Offensive Player of the Year, he concluded his prep football career
with 6,134 passing yards, 1,919 rushing yards and 98 total touchdowns.
Kendrick has volunteered locally with Read Across America, an
elementary school literacy-outreach program, and he has donated his time as a
youth football coach and mentor. “Bottom line, Derion Kendrick is the best
player in the state of South Carolina,” said Bobby Collins, head coach of
Lancaster High. “What makes him dangerous is that he loves to compete. He’s the
key to their success.”
Kendrick has maintained a B average in the classroom. He has
verbally committed to play football on scholarship at Clemson University in the
fall of 2018.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one
winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high
school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls
basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track
& field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport.
The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of
the Year Selection Committee, which work with top sport-specific experts and a
media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to
determine the state winners in each sport.
Kendrick joins recent Gatorade South Carolina Football Players
of the Year Dakereon Joyner (2016-17, Fort Dorchester High School),
Austin Scott (2015-16, Spartanburg High School), J.J. Arcega-Whiteside
(2014-15, Dorman High School), Shuler Bentley (2013-14 & 2012-13, James. F.
Byrnes High School), Quinshad Davis (2011–12, Gaffney High School), Justin
Worley (2010-11, Northwestern High School), and Marcus Lattimore (2009-10,
James. F. Byrnes High School) among the state’s list of former award winners.
As a Gatorade Player of the Year, Kendrick will be able to
select a national or local youth sports organization to receive a grant as part
of the Gatorade Play It Forward program. Every Gatorade Player of the Year
state winner receives a $1,000 grant to donate and will have the opportunity to
enter for an additional $10,000 spotlight grant by writing a brief essay
explaining why their selected organization deserves additional support. 12
spotlight grants – one for each sport – will be announced throughout the year.
****2019 DL Fann Names Top Four
Curtis Fann is a highly coveted DL/DE out of the Peach State in
the 2019 crop of potential recruits the Tigers are keeping their eyes on. He
has named a final four already and, as expected, the Defending National Champs
are squarely in the mix along with Florida, South Carolina and Auburn for the
big-time Georgia standout. Stay tuned as we monitor Fann and the Tigers’ 2019 class
here on the Radar at CUTigers.com!
****Clemson Offers NC
Linebacker
Clemson reached into the Tar Heel State and dispensed its latest
offer to Jaylon Scott, a linebacker out of Shelby, NC who is gaining a lot of
traction in recruiting circles all over the map.
Stay tuned as we continue to track the LB out of Shelby.
I
am blessed to say that i’ve just received my 4th offer from Clemson University!
#ALLIN
???? pic.twitter.com/Q2Q9yqbWX6
****Clemson Offers Former
Florida Commits
Clemson reached into the Sunshine State, deep into Miami-Dade
County and offered former 2019 Florida WR commit Frank Ladson, Jr. Both
Ladson and fellow teammate Rique Stevenson pulled off their commitments to the
Gators and almost instantly received offers from the Defending National
Champs.
Stay tuned, as the Canes of Miami are also squarely in the mix
here. Clemson and its recent success in Florida has staying power,
especially after the way the Tigers dispatched the Canes in the ACC
Championship. But keep checking back right here for your Clemson recruiting info
and intel!
****Another New Offer in
Florida
Top-tier athlete Rique Stevenson just picked up a Clemson offer
for the 2019 Class on Monday and subsequently de-committed from Florida on
Tuesday. Clemson's staff has been on the road in the Sunshine State all
week and making in-roads to recruits all over the Tigers’ recruiting footprint.
Stay tuned right here at CUTigers.com and our Recruiting Radar forum for all
your recruiting updates, news and intel!
****This Week’s Tweets
Staying home
???????????? pic.twitter.com/cZtsvi6hOO
POLL: Who is the @amfam
ALL-USA Football Offensive Player of the Year? https://t.co/x7Ha0tYY95
pic.twitter.com/m6GdxN0gMz
I
am blessed to say that i’ve just received my 4th offer from Clemson University!
#ALLIN
???? pic.twitter.com/Q2Q9yqbWX6
Shrine bowl practice with my dude @_jakevenables
pic.twitter.com/sSfE6OoQwF
#ClemsonFamily
in the @NFL:
1??4?? #ALLIN
pic.twitter.com/DkHTNpeOWr
Week
—
J
5??cott (@JaylonScott05)
December
12, 2017
I am blessed to say that i’ve just
received my 4th offer from Clemson University! #ALLIN
???? pic.twitter.com/Q2Q9yqbWX6
You already know where home is!!
???????? https://t.co/uRK4nUu9op
Final 4
????????????????..Please Respect My
Decision & Have A Blessed Day ???????? (No Specific Order)
pic.twitter.com/ILFyKKy3MY
Was told there was a great home visit!! We are ALLIN
???? pic.twitter.com/QforSMSV6a
????????????#ALLIN
pic.twitter.com/n3ifFlBKXp
Jordan McFadden commits to Clemson pic.twitter.com/HXEvRIVPjB
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