Clemson football: 4-star S Sherrod Covil announces commitment

4-star Clemson football target Sherrod Covil announced his decision to commit to the Tigers Thursday morning as a part of the Rivals 5-star Challenge in Atlanta, Georgia.

Covil emerged as one of the top safety targets for the Clemson football program in the 2022 recruiting cycle several months ago and it was clear from the start when the Tigers offered him- back in March- that they were going to be in good position to land the talented prospect.

Covil is rated as the No. 11 safety in the country and the No. 10 overall player from the state of Virginia. He is the No. 198 overall player in the nation, according to the 247 Sports’ composite player rankings.

He chose the Tigers over finalists Notre Dame, North Carolina and Miami. Ohio State, Penn State, Miami and Virginia Tech were also involved during his recruitment.

What Covil’s commitment means for Clemson football as we move forward in the 2022 recruiting cycle

Covil is the first defensive commitment in the class of 2022 for Clemson and he’s the sixth commitment overall.

When looking at his film, the first thing that stands out is his physicality and ability to tackle in the open field. There’s a solid possibility that Covil will play at over 200 pounds after he gets into the program for a couple of years and it wouldn’t be surprising for him to play that nickel role at times, either.

He loves getting up at the line of scrimmage and has great athleticism to make plays in the backfield or drop back in coverage. It will be interesting to see how he develops over the course of his senior year and how quickly he’s able to make an impact once he gets on campus.

This is a major pickup for Clemson and we can’t understate that.

The Tigers desperately needed at least one quality safety in this class and they absolutely got that in Covil.

Here’s what 247 Sports’ recruiting analyst Brian Dohn had to say about Covil in his scouting report:

"“Solid frame with ability to carry 200 pounds. Ferocious hitter at his best in the box. High energy and effort player. Plays tough and physical with an old school mentality of punishing receivers coming across the middle. Shifts weight well to transition from backpedal to driving on passes in front of him. Breaks on ball well and has body control to deliver bit hits in space. Very good tackler who goes through ball carrier. Gets off blocks and re-directs to ball carrier. Can chase down a play to the sideline. Fills run gaps aggressively and with purpose. Loves to jam when matched up against slot receiver. Has to refine man coverage skills, including opening hips to change direction laterally. Needs to add strength to his upper body. Impact player at Top 20 program. Mid to late round NFL draft pick.”"

As we move forward, we’d expect several other prospects to fall in line behind Covil as the Tigers continue to make trek back towards the top portion of the recruiting rankings after a slow start to the cycle.