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There’s something about Clemson and late five-star offensive line additions.
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Fairfax (Va.) Robinson five-star tackle Tristan Leigh announced his commitment Saturday, picking the Tigers over finalists Oklahoma, LSU and Florida, among many other suitors.
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We repeatedly told subscribers over the last two months that Clemson's staff felt better about its chances than the public perceived, and that manifested in Leigh’s choice during NBC’s “Declaration Day” telecast.
In November, we brought to light that Leigh (6-5, 290) -- ranked No. 17 nationally by Rivals.com – had reached out to coaches at Clemson and Florida after spending the fall viewed as a battle between LSU and Oklahoma.
The Tigers still had plenty of work to do. But as we wrote, there were reasons to think Leigh particularly was not sold on the Sooners, who were viewed as the frontrunners.
We reported that Leigh conducted a virtual gameday visit with Clemson in November and that Dabo Swinney was involved in a couple of important Zoom calls with Leigh over the next month.
Those came in advance of the Dec. 16-18 early signing period, at which point Leigh withheld details of his decision pending today’s announcement.
Clemson’s staff stability, elite stature, relative proximity, trust factor and reasonable path to early playing time added up for a late pull the likes of which it executed in nabbing five-star Jackson Carman at the 2018 early signing period deadline.
Leigh makes for the Tigers’ second five-star acquisition this class – joining Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett linebacker Barrett Carter – and jumps Clemson from No. 7 to No. 3 in the network’s team recruiting class rankings. The final National Signing Day is Feb. 3.
Fifteen of Clemson’s 19 signees are now rated four stars or higher.
Leigh visited for its October 2019 victory against Florida State, then picked up his offer upon attending the program’s elite junior day last January.
The Tigers made a considerable first impression. But his recruitment was just beginning, and it just so happened to make several twists and turns before coming full circle.
The power of the paw remains quite strong.
FROM THE TIGER FAN SHOP: Click HERE for more in-season DEALS on officially-licensed CLEMSON apparel and gear!
