1. It remains to be seen how June unfolds for Clemson's recruiting class.
Dominoes could fall quickly after its big official visit weekend to open the month. Or it could be a laborious waiting period as targets take their official visits elsewhere before rendering a verdict.
One thing feels more certain: June cannot get here soon enough for the Tigers.
Mind you, the coaching staff certainly can and will use the rest of this month for important spring evaluation period stops. There are prospects they want to observe in action. And there are others they want to be seen by so those recruits feel the Clemson love, so to speak.
While the Tigers have made a notable strategic move in shooting their shot the opening June weekend, turns out a handful of pursuits don't look like they'll make it that far. And most of those appear trending away from Clemson.
So the Tigers could use a boost.
That said, while the news hasn't been overly favorable the last couple of weeks, the totality of the official visit weekend paints a more encouraging picture.
In this edition, we introduce two new confirmed attendants for the weekend. That pushes the tally of stated participants to two dozen -- although we expect two to potentially be scratched if they commit elsewhere in advance.
Twenty-one of the 24 are rated as four-stars, and we'd contend the other three will if not should be sooner than later.
No, several recent developments have not gone Clemson's way, including a few we will bring to light in the coming items. Fair play to discuss the significance and ramifications.
Yet with the talent that's going to convene on campus in less than a month, it would also be premature to write off the caliber of this class quite yet.
2. New defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin put his stamp on linebacker recruiting with a handful of new offers this calendar year.
Two are already on the June guest list in Fairfax (Va.) four-star Tony Rojas and Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek four-star Jamal Anderson.
We can now add a third.
Alpharetta (Ga.) Denmark four-star Dee Crayton has locked Clemson in for his first official.
We had considered Crayton (6-1, 220), ranked No. 131 nationally by Rivals.com, on the fast track toward a commitment early in the spring, based on our returns from sources close to the prospect. Auburn and Penn State had been the contenders until Clemson's offer catapulted them in late February.
But then Crayton pumped the brakes a bit, seemingly tied to a trip he made to Florida State.
From what we've gathered, the 'Noles might not even be in the picture anymore.
Crayton has lined up additional official visits to Auburn (June 10-12), Missouri (June 17-19) and Penn State (June 24-26), with UCF slated to draw the final date in July.
Of course, whether his recruitment gets that far is the question.
Our suspicion is we'll know soon after that Clemson official whether Crayton wants to reserve his spot.
3. With the topic of NIL money and its influence overwhelming the conversation this past week, Miami's flashing and splashing of the cash -- and more importantly, its significance to Clemson -- commanded attention.
In last week's edition, we informed subscribers that Miami (Fla.) Edison four-star receiver commitment Nathaniel "Ray Ray" Joseph had locked in plans to be among the official visitors for Clemson's big June 3-5 weekend.
Moreover, we circled the importance of luring Joseph (5-9, 175), ranked No. 88 overall, back periodically in order to counter Miami's threat.
Like clockwork, CaneSport.com coincidentally published an article in which Joseph's high school coach, Luther Campbell, made pointed comments predictably raising question about the stability of Joseph's pledge.
“I don’t let schools dictate to my players their recruiting process," Campbell said in reference to Clemson not permitting its commitments to visit other schools. "I let that be known to them up front, they are going to take their visits, go different places. And that’s what it is.”
"Amari Cooper, Alabama said they didn’t want him to visit anywhere else. Well, if they want to visit, they can. And if you have a problem with it you can drop him. I don’t let people dictate what my players can and can’t do.”
Forget for a moment that, in fact, Clemson makes its terms for and definition of a commitment known to the prospect before he signs on. No one's hand was forced; those are the conditions understood when the Tigers take a commitment and the prospect goes public.
Here's arguing that what you're seeing is not Joseph rocking the boat.
What this exposes is the pressure Joseph is under to do so, and the challenge the Tigers face from a distance in keeping that door securely closed.
“His dream school is Miami, just Manny Diaz didn’t recruit him and neither did the offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach/recruiting coordinator," Campbell said. "He’ll tell you in a minute his dream school was Miami. I can’t tell you how many times I called Miami and told them this kid is the real deal, but they did not want him.”
Campbell went on to note his longstanding connection to new Miami coach Mario Cristobal and new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele, a longtime area recruiter who ... never wastes an opportunity to take aim at this particular former employer.
Receivers coach Tyler Grisham paid a visit to Joseph's school Friday, days after Miami staffers made their first stop at Edison this spring.
Per our intel, Joseph actually spoke with Clemson coaches earlier in the week as such reports surfaced.
We would tell you that the conviction with which Joseph is committed has been conveyed much stronger to Clemson than has been cast publicly.
Yet the Tigers are aware they would be naive in failing to recognize the hazard Miami presents.
Which simply reinforces how vital the June official visit will be with not only Joseph but his family.
Recruiting is a marathon, not a sprint. There's a lot of race still to be run.
4. OK, well, some restrictions might apply.
