Clemson football's 2026 recruiting class grew by two on Thursday evening as both Carter Scruggs, a four-star lineman, and three-star edge rusher JR Hardrick picked the Tigers.
Both visited Clemson this past weekend and it was enough to lead them to committing.
While Hardrick isn't the highest-rated recruit in the class, he seemingly has a high ceiling and he became the first edge rusher and second defensive line commit in the 2026 class. He won't be winning any recruiting awards, but he could be one of those hidden gems who becomes a fan favorite.
As for Scruggs, he was considered one of the top targets on campus last weekend and many believed he would become a member of the 2026 class. He announced a commitment date of June 5 and chose between Clemson, Michigan, Penn State, Georgia, and Oklahoma, but the writing was on the wall when he decided to commit before visiting his other finalists.
Scruggs was expected to visit the other finalists, but his commitment has essentially canceled those.
Clemson is now up to 18 commitments in its 2026 class after landing Scruggs, Hardrick, and Leo Delaney following official visit weekend No. 1 and that was good enough to boost the Tigers into the top three national in team recruiting rankings.
Scruggs' commitment also makes him one of five four-star offensive linemen in Clemson's 2026 class and they have another three-star committed, too. All-in-all, Matt Luke has done a fantastic job with this recruiting class and he deserves to be looked at as one of the top assistants in the nation.