Clemson has scored another pledge from its huge official visit weekend.
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South Pittsburg (Tenn.) defensive end JR Hardrick announced his commitment to the Tigers. He had been a projection to Clemson by Tigerillustrated.com.
Hardrick (6-5, 232) picked Clemson over Louisville and Georgia Tech.
"It can't really get bigger than Clemson," Hardrick told Tigerillustrated.com recently.
He also held offers from Mississippi State, Wake Forest, Virginia and UCF.
Georgia Tech conveyed his first power conference offer in March, and others took notice as demand exceeds supply for tall, lengthy defensive end candidates.
South Pittsburg is a 1A program in Tennessee that doesn't exactly get a lot of exposure. But Hardrick helped his team to a state title, which brought about spring visits to Vanderbilt, UNC, Duke, Wake Forest and Mississippi State.
Louisville followed with an offer later in March and lined him up for an official visit scheduled to occur this weekend..
Clemson then played host to Hardrick for a spring practice, and the ball got rolling.
Defensive ends coach Chris Rumph made his way to convey an offer to Hardrick early last month during the spring evaluation period.
Hardrick summarily bumped the Louisville official to accommodate Clemson, which had seized momentum through program culture and profile.
We wrote several times over the subsequent weeks that we were casting doubt as to whether the Louisville official would occur.
That's now final.
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"With Clemson, I just love the way they do academics," Hardrick said in a previous interview. "They take it very serious, and they will get on to you more about that than football. They are worried about what you're going to do after football. They care about what you are going to do in the world and how you carry yourself."
Rumph has been looking to add a pair of certified edge-rushers to this recruiting class. As evidenced by four-star Ari Watford last cycle, the Tigers have idealized adding some bigger bodies to the fold.
Two were brought in for the official visit weekend, and Clemson now has one.
Hardrick becomes the 17th member of Clemson's class.
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Tigerillustrated.com will of course have much more on Hardrick in our Monday Insider, including behind-the-scenes details on his recruitment.
CLEMSON's VERBAL COMMITMENTS
1. (QB) Tait Reynolds (6-4, 195) Queen Creek, Ariz.
2. (DB) Shavar Young Jr. (6-0, 185) Knoxville, Tenn.
3. (QB) Brock Bradley (6-1, 185) Birmingham, Ala.
4. (TE) Tayveon Wilson (6-3, 210) Huntington, W. Va.
5. (OL) Braden Wilmes (6-6, 270) Lawrence, Kan.
6. (OL) Adam Guthrie (6-6, 292) Washington Court House, OH
7. (WR) Naeem Burroughs (6-0, 170) Jacksonville, Fla.
8. (WR) Connor Salmin (6-1, 185) Potomac, Md.
9. (OL) Grant Wise (6-3, 300) Pace, Fla.
10. (OL) Chance Barclay (6-4, 280) Orlando, Fla.
11. (DB) Marcell Gipson (5-11, 180) Dallas, TX
12. (DB) Kaden Gebhardt (6-1, 200) Lewis Center, OH
13. (DL) Kameron Cody (6-3, 265) Savannah, Ga.
14. (WR) Gordon Sellars (6-3, 195) Charlotte, N.C.
15. (DB) Kentavion Anderson (6-2, 190), Roebuck, S.C.
16. (OL) Leo Delaney (6-6, 290), Charlotte, N.C.
17. (DE) JR Hardrick (6-5, 232) South Pittsburg, Tenn.
