Clemson Coup: No. 1 2013 Prospect Robert Nkemdiche Commits to Dabo Swinney

Perhaps foregoing the bluster of National Signing Day drama some eight months away, Robert Nkemdiche declared on Thursday afternoon he was committed to Clemson football. TigerIllustrated.com reported that the consensus No. 1 recruit for 2013 had verbally committed to CU, spurning several SEC suitors including Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Georgia and Mississippi State.

Check out the video from Tigers Illustrated:

Nkemdiche is a 6-foot-5, 280-pound defensive end out of Grayson High in Loganville, Ga. The buzz surrounding his potential is comparable to that of 2011 prospect Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney lived up to the hype, making an immediate impact on South Carolina’s defensive line.

Come the 2013 season, the two will be on opposing sides on Thanksgiving weekend. Clemson was in the running for Clowney before his eventual commitment to Steve Spurrier and South Carolina after NSD 2011.

This signing is Dabo Swinney’s biggest recruiting coup to date, marking the program’s first national No. 1 signee ever. That’s a remarkable statistic given Swinney has scored big on the recruiting trail recently. Last season’s ACC championship team prominently featured true freshmen Stephone Anthony and Sammy Watkins, the latter of which garnered considerable Heisman buzz.

Despite its 10 wins and Orange Bowl appearance a season ago, Clemson is a team with a lot of work to do — specifically, on the defensive end. New coordinator Brent Venables has to be rubbing his palms together gleefully with the thought of Nkemdiche anchoring his line.

A lot can happen between now and February 2013, but in the meantime CU has a tremendous feather in its proverbial cap.