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Clemson Football: 5 instant impact early signees

By Justin Heisey

CLEMSON, SC - SEPTEMBER 09: Defensive end Austin Bryant #7, defensive end Clelin Ferrell #99, and defensive lineman Christian Wilkins #42 of the Clemson Tigers celebrate following a sack made by Bryant against the Auburn Tigers at Memorial Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
CLEMSON, SC - SEPTEMBER 09: Defensive end Austin Bryant #7, defensive end Clelin Ferrell #99, and defensive lineman Christian Wilkins #42 of the Clemson Tigers celebrate following a sack made by Bryant against the Auburn Tigers at Memorial Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images) /
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Clemson football finished off their Early Signing Day with the No. 7 2019 recruiting class. Which of those players will make the biggest splash next season?

After a somewhat controversial start to the season, Clemson has picked up steam and is the favorite going into their play-in game for the National Championship Game against a strong Notre Dame team. The Tigers have outscored their opponents 400-94 in their final eight games and secured their fourth consecutive ACC Championship, a feat that had never been accomplished in Clemson history.

Clemson’s defense was a huge known going into the season and have four NFL projected first rounders taking up all four starting spots on the line. On top of that, they have the nations best defensive player from the 2018 recruiting class in Xavier Thomas who has done nothing but amaze with his aggressive play style that placed him fifth on the team in tackles for loss.

Linebacker Tre Lamar finished as a finalist for the 2018 Butkus Award for the nations best linebacker while WILL linebacker Kendall Joseph finished up with 73 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss.

The Tiger offense finished up fifth overall in total offense and have one of the most balanced offenses in college football. The quarterback controversy that began the season seems like a distant memory now as Trevor Lawrence worked his way to become the ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year while also breaking Deshaun Watson‘s freshman passing touchdown record with 24 touchdown passes with only four interceptions.

Despite losing Deon Cain and Ray Ray McCloud, the passing game was able to crank out numbers with the sophomores Tee Higgins and Amari Rogers stepping up to take their place to combine for 94 receptions, 1,316 yards, and 14 touchdowns.

I would be remiss not to mention Clemson’s stud backfield leader Travis Etienne. The Tigers stole Etienne away from LSU in the final weeks of the recruiting cycle two seasons ago and he came to the limelight by breaking off huge rushes in his freshman season. Despite only having 176 attempts, Etienne managed to scamper for 1,464 yards and 21 touchdowns this season.

After signing back to back smaller classes (2017:14 enrolled; 2018: 17 enrolled) it was nice to see the Tigers bring in 27 guys in the early signing period to build up some depth. With four guys declaring along the defensive line and a  pair of defensive backs likely leaving for the NFL, which of these 27 recruits will have the largest impact on the 2019 season?

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