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By J.T. Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com Staff Writer
SouthernPigskin.com Staff Writer J.T. Bennett talks with Clemson recruiting coordinator Jeff Scott about Clemson's 2010 recruiting class. Follow us on Twitter at Twitter.com/SouthernPigskin. Become a fan of us on Facebook at the SouthernPigskin.com Facebook Page
Clemson recruiting coordinator Jeff Scott
On the 2010 recruiting class -
"This class, I think it is a nice class. You always hear coaches talking about meeting their needs and I think we did exactly that. Obviously there are a lot of talented players and I think over the next four years you will see a lot of key contributors that can take us to the next level and play for and win championships. These guys have that type of ability to put us in that type of a situation. I am very pleased with this class overall."
On the position of need -
"I think the first position was probably defensive back. We knew we were going to lose two corners this year and we lost both of our safeties last year. That was a position that we knew we had to go out sign some guys. We were fortunate to go out and sign six guys this year. We felt like we helped to reload there. The next position was wide receiver as over the last two years we have graduated Aaron Kelly, Tyler Gresham, and Jacoby Ford. Guys who have made a lot plays for us over the last four and five years. We knew receiver was a position that we had to get some guys that could come in and make some plays for us. We feel good about the wide receivers that we have signed this year. We feel like these guys are going to be big time playmakers for us. Probably the last position would be linebacker. We knew we wanted to add at least one linebacker and he needed to be the right type of player. We really believe in Justin Parker and he is a versatile player that can play all three of the linebacker positions. Those are the main three positions and we are very comfortable that we met those needs and we are very happy with that."
On a standout player -
"I would have to say Martavis Bryant. Martavis committed to us two years ago in February of 2008. He was our first commitment in this class. He is a player that could go anywhere in the country. He has offers from just about everywhere. In the two years that he was committed to us he was sought after by a lot of programs and not one time did he budge from his commitment. He stood firm. He emerged as a leader for this class, he has a lot to do with the reason this class turned out the way it did. He was the first committed player and his paper came in first at about 7:05am. He is going to be wearing number one for us next year. We are expecting big things out of him. He is definitely one of those players that has stood out being committed for over two years and having to deal with a lot programs coming in and trying to peak his interest. This really has stood out to myself and coach Swinney."
On a underrated player -
"I would have to say tight end Victor Beasley out of Adairsville, GA. We just think he has tremendous upside. His situation at his school, he has had several head coaches in a few years and for some reason a lot of people didn't know about him. We were fortunate because our offensive coordinator Billy Napier, his father Bill Napier is actually the offensive coordinator at Adairsville High School and we were able to find out about Victor. In the last year we had him up here and we knew he was going to be a special player. We were able to keep him quiet a little bit. If he would have went to all of the combines and sent his video everywhere he would have been a very, very highly rated prospect. But we were very pleased that we could keep him under the radar. We think he has the potential to be an elite player at the next level. He runs very well and just has tremendous abilities with the ball in his hands."
2010 Clemson Class Notes; ClemsonTigers.com
• Clemson signed seven players from the state of Georgia today. That was the most for the program from Georgia since 2002 when Clemson also signed seven players from Georgia. The seven in that 2002 class included Nathan Bennett, who went on to become an All-American in 2006, and Chansi Stuckey who became a two-time first-team All-ACC receiver.
• Clemson had only seven players sign from the state of Georgia in the previous four classes combined.
• Clemson signed three players from the state of Alabama. Clemson has now signed 17 players from Alabama over the last seven years, or the seven years Dabo Swinney has been on the Clemson staff. Between 1990 and 2003, Clemson did not sign a single player from the state of Alabama.
• Clemson signed 23 players overall this year. The state breakdown: 8 from South Carolina, 7 from Georgia, 3 from Alabama, 2 from Delaware and one each from Florida, North Carolina and Tennessee.
• Clemson signed six defensive backs, four offensive linemen, 3 wide receivers, 2 defensive tackles, 2 defensive ends, 2 tight ends, 2 running backs and 2 linebackers.
• Clemson signed two players from the state of Delaware. It is the first time Clemson has signed a player from Delaware since future All-American Jim Bundren signed with Clemson in 1993.
• The 23 signees today are the most since the 2008 recruiting class had 25.
• As of 5:00 PM on Wednesday, Clemson's recruiting class was ranked 17th by ESPN.com, 18th by Rivals.com and 23rd by Scout.com. Clemson's class ranked second best among ACC teams behind Florida Stat according to Rivals.com. Clemson's class was third best in the ACC behind Florida State and Miami by ESPN and Scout.com.
• This marked the fifth straight year Clemson had a top 20 recruiting class by ESPN.com. Clemson was 13th in 2006, 18th in 2007, 2nd in 2008, 19th in 2009 and 17th in 2010.
• Clemson signed six defensive backs. Clemson's defensive back group was ranked fifth best in the nation by Scout.com and Rivals.com.
• Max Preps announced an "early top 10 recruiting classes for 2011" late Wednesday afternoon. Clemson was ranked second. The top 10 was: 1. LSU, 2. Clemson, 3. Florida State, 4. Stanford, 5. Alabama, 6.Ohio State, 7. Louisville, 8. Nebraska, 9. Oklahoma, 10. Florida.
• Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney said this class began on Feb. 23, 2008 when Martavis Bryant of Anderson, SC and T.L. Hanna High School was the first commitment. Bryant was the first in the class to sign and fax his letter of intent today (7:15 AM). Swinney said Bryant would fittingly wear number-one next season.
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