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1. We begin where we left off from last week’s edition, and that’s with Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake five-star cornerback A.J. Terrell.
Terrell (6-2, 175), ranked No. 8 nationally by Rivals.com, visited Clemson’s practice nine days ago with his father and brother – his third trip to campus in as many months. TigerIllustrated.com issued a projection for Terrell to Clemson in the wake.
In case you didn’t notice, we traveled to Atlanta last week and took in a Westlake practice. More on that in minute.
Terrell reiterated that his public list has been whittled to Clemson, Florida and South Carolina.
The Gamecocks, you might recall, scored the visit before his latest Clemson stop. Florida was his favorite team growing up and was perceived as the frontrunner for an extended stage in the spring.
Terrell has let the cat out of the bag that he will be announcing his decision Friday. The video will be produced by Rivals.com.
And yes, the network has already filmed it.
2. As we brought to light last week, there’s a fascinating footnote in play: Terrell’s new high school coach, Kareem Reid, also served as the high school coach for Clemson freshman corner sensation Trayvon Mullen. Reid left Coconut Creek (Fla.) for Westlake in April.
Reid is not a tie binding either to Clemson; if you read our article on Mullen’s trek, you’ll note he thought Mullen would choose Florida State.
We tapped into Reid, though, for insight on how the Tigers’ potential cornerback addition compared to the newcomer drawing such rave reviews in August camp.
“Man, I tell you what now, A.J.’s a special player,” Reid said. “He’s a very high football IQ type. He’s stronger than Tray was. Tray was surprisingly strong for a kid his size. But A.J. really hits the weights pretty good, and his dad looks like he’s in pretty good shape and has a home gym. A.J. isn’t as fast – I’ll say cat-quick – as Tray. But he’s just as athletic. He can play safety or corner, truly could go either way. He’s going to gain weight by the time he gets to school. But he has cover skills, and he’s physical. Tray would cover you up, and he’d get you on the ground. A.J. will run through you, that’s the difference.
“It’s splitting hairs really. They’re two great players. You can’t go wrong. A.J.’s program- and scheme-diverse. He’s going to make plays wherever you put him and for whatever defense he’s on.”
For what it’s worth, Terrell will also play quarterback and receiver this year for Westlake.
3. From the just sayin’ department …
Should the Tigers secure Terrell, he would represent the program’s highest-ranked defensive back acquisition since the network went online in 1999.
Mackensie Alexander and Marcus Gilchrist both came in at No. 42 in the country.
Clemson would vault from No. 12 in the Rivals.com team rankings to No. 9, jumping, Texas A&M, Arizona and Tennessee barring other additions in the meantime.
And that would be with the Tigers owning 10 fewer pledges than the Vols.
At 13 commitments, Clemson would also be the only team in the top 10 with less than 15 (No. 6 Georgia).
Last year’s No. 10 team finished with 2,447 points. Terrell would push the Tigers to 1,773, so a third consecutive top-10 class would probably be difficult because of their anticipated small class size.
But it would be premature to count Clemson out, too.
4. The Tigers wouldn’t mind pulling off the Reid trifecta and nab a third defensive back of his in as many cycles.
Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake four-star Myles Sims debuted at No. 70 in Rivals.com’s 2018 rankings this month.
Sims (6-3, 173) plays cornerback opposite Terrell, although Clemson and others have left the door open for him filling out into a safety.
