Clemson Football: Recent 2018 offer, Taiyon Palmer a late steal at corner
With expired eligibility and recent departures to the NFL, Clemson football is thin in the secondary, going into the offseason. The Tigers may have found a hidden gem in 2018 defensive back, Taiyon Palmer.
It seems like every year, Clemson is identifying an underrated prospect late into the recruiting cycle.
In 2016 that prospect was K’Von Wallace and in 2017 that prospect was Travis Etienne Jr. The list goes on and on. Both of the aforementioned recruits ended up logging valuable playing time as true freshman.
Recent offer, Taiyon Palmer out of Archer high school figures to be that late steal for Clemson in the 2018 recruiting cycle. He is one of the hottest prospects in the country right now, receiving 10 major division one offers in the month of January alone.
Strengths
At 6-foot,178 pounds, Palmer has respectable size at the corner position. While he can stand to bulk up some, Palmer has a good frame to build upon.
He would have no problem building muscle in Clemson’s strength and conditioning program.
I am most intrigued by Palmer’s ability to break on the ball. His footwork is clean and fluid, but, more importantly, he displays natural football instincts that cannot be coached.
On more than one occasion, Palmer can be seen breaking on a route before the ball has even left the quarterback’s hand.
Palmer also doubles as a wide receiver for Archer high school. As such, he has the ball skills to come down with interceptions rather than batted down passes.
You can view his senior film here.
Position of need
With Ryan Carter, Marcus Edmond, Van Smith and Amir Trapp moving on from the program, Clemson has holes to fill in the secondary.
Outside of Kyler McMichael, the Tigers missed on majority of their defensive back targets in the 2018 recruiting cycle. This makes Palmer all the more important to Clemson. Not only does he help from a numbers standpoint, he has the talent to seriously contribute down the road.
Peach State Pipeline
Clemson’s success recruiting the state of Georgia is well documented. Hopefully the Tigers’ previously established relationships in the state will aid in Palmer’s recruitment.
Next: Who are the Clemson 2018 early enrollees?
Archer high school is one of the top prep programs in the Peach State, annually putting out major division one talent. The Tigers have also extended an offer to Palmer’s teammate and 2019 cornerback prospect, Andrew Booth Jr.