Clemson football can’t afford to miss out on this five-star recruit.
The Clemson Tigers have the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class at the moment, trailing only the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 247Sports Team Rankings. Just like on the playing field where Ohio State and Clemson could be playing each other for the National Championship, the two could be in a heated battle for the No. 1 class.
If Clemson football lands this five-star recruit, it’ll help Dabo Swinney inch that much closer toward securing the recruiting title.
I was tempted to say No. 1 overall recruit Korey Foreman is the can’t miss recruit for Clemson football. After all, he is the top recruit, which would give Clemson the distinction of signing the top player two years in a row after getting Bryan Bresee last cycle. Foreman was committed to Clemson football for a while before decommitting this spring. Clemson isn’t out of the chase for the defensive end, but USC appears to be in the lead with others in the mix.
However, the can’t-miss recruit for Clemson is offensive tackle Tristan Leigh from Fairfax, Virginia and Robinson Secondary High School.
Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers have recruited well in recent years. Clemson football hopes that’ll continue with the addition of Leigh.
The 6-foot-5 Leigh is the nation’s No. 11 overall recruit and No. 3 offensive tackle, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
LSU, Oklahoma, Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, Maryland and others are in the running for the offensive tackle who has a long and lean frame that can stand to bulk up and add about 30 pounds in the first year or two on campus. He may need to redshirt as a freshman or at least need a year or so before he’s ready to compete for a starting job.
If Clemson is able to land Leight, he could be a valuable piece in protecting the next franchise quarterback once Trevor Lawrence leaves, D.J. Uiagalelei, and open up holes for five-star running back commit, Will Shipley who is poised to succeed Travis Etienne.
At this stage of his development, Leigh is more of a run-blocking left tackle but with more experience, especially at the college level, can blossom into a balanced tackle with the ability to use his length and athleticism to pass block, especially against speedy edge rushers.
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