Clemson Football Recruiting: Tigers make the cut for 4-star 2019 OL
Keiondre Jones is one of the top offensive lineman in the 2019 recruiting class. The Georgia native recently listed the Clemson football program in his top 11 schools.
Under Dabo Swinney, Clemson football has placed an emphasis on recruiting the state of Georgia. The Peach State is one of the top high school football hotbeds in the country, brimming with elite talent from year-to-year.
The Tigers have struggled to lure elite offensive line prospects to Death Valley dating back to the days of Tommy Bowden. Jones is the type of lineman Clemson must sign if they hope to continue competing for National Championships. Standing 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Jones is a mauling run blocker with phenomenal upper body strength. His punch stops opposing defensive lineman dead in their tracks.
The rising junior already holds over 24 scholarship offers from elite programs across the country including, Alabama, Florida State and Ohio State. Today he announced via twitter that he would be honing in on the following 11 schools; Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, South Carolina and Tennessee.
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Thoughts
In recent years Clemson has had one of the better offensive line units in the country, due in large part to Robbie Caldwell’s ability to develop technically sound lineman. That being said, Deshaun Watson’s ability to create when things broke down, bailed this offensive line out on multiple occasions over the past two seasons.
Watson was a generational talent. As such, Clemson must sure up their offensive line if they hope to uphold their National Championship standard in the post-Watson era. That starts with recruiting players like Jones.
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The Tigers currently own majority of the crystal ball predictions for the 2019 offensive guard, with in-state Georgia and Florida State following close behind. With his list of impressive offers, the battle to land Jones is far from over for Clemson.
Kirby Smart and his staff have been working to put a fence around the state of Georgia and they have made gained some momentum as of late. The ‘Dawgs recently landed a commitment from 4-star defensive end, Azeez Ojulari. They are also the perceived leader for a pair of elite in-state offensive lineman in Trey Hill and Jamaree Salyer.
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Jones is not the only Peach State prospect the Tigers and Bulldogs will battle for in the 2019 recruiting class. The Tigers are also in hot pursuit of 5-star linebacker, Owen Pappoe and 5-star defensive end, Nolan Smith.