Clemson Football recruiting has received three huge commitments for the Class of 2024 since their big official visit weekend. Two of those recruits play wide receiver: Bryant Wesco and T.J. Moore.
Wide receiver is a position of interest for Tiger fans who follow Clemson Football recruiting. The Tiger offense hasn’t had the same kind of production the past couple of seasons that they had since their run of College Football Playoff berths began in 2015. A perceived lack of talent at the receiver position has been considered a primary reason for that dropoff in production.
Many fans clamored for the Tigers to take transfer candidates at receiver, but that didn’t happen for a variety of reasons. As a result, the main way for Clemson to enhance the receiver group moving forward is through high school recruiting.
Wesco is a 4-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite, ranked 37th overall. 247Sports properly labels him a 5-star and ranks him in their top 10 overall. He is their 3rd best wide receiver prospect.
Moore is also a 4-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite, ranked 157th overall. Like Wesco, 247Sports proper is even more favorable, ranking him as the 83rd-best prospect.
Wesco and Moore are among the higher-rated and ranked prospects that Clemson has been recruiting for the Class of 2024. If they were to be the only gets for the Tigers at receiver, it would represent a good haul for Clemson and wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham.
Given the perceived need to bring in as much talent as possible at receiver, an obvious question from many fans is whether there will be any more receiver additions to the 2024 class.
There are more prospects at the position that Clemson has been recruiting, and those candidates could ultimately decide they want to be a Tiger. It takes two to tango, however.
One of those prospects, Braylon Staley of Aiken, South Carolina, says he is no longer considering Clemson as a final destination.
#STRecruiting: WR Braylon Staley says #Clemson no longer an option for him https://t.co/lyCWfTR5XT
— SportsTalk Media Network (@sportstalksc) June 8, 2023
Staley says the Tigers only plan on taking two receivers in the Class of 2024. With verbal commitments from Wesco and Moore, Staley believes Clemson is done at receiver unless there is an unexpected decommitment.
Insiders have pointed at taking two 2024 receivers as the plan for the Tigers previously, and based on Staley’s statements, it would appear that the staff plans to stick with that strategy. Given the kind of talent at receiver that has been considering Clemson, this strategy could be frustrating for fans who would like to see more additions at receiver from this recruiting cycle.
Clemson football appears to be done at wide receiver for the Class of 2024, but plans can always change
While it is understandable that some fans would be disappointed with only two receiver takes for 2024, they shouldn’t give up hope quite yet. The Early Signing Day is over six months away, with an entire football season to be played for Clemson and the prospects of 2024, who are rising seniors in high school.
At this point, it is difficult to predict where attrition might occur on the Tiger 2023 roster, but there is always the possibility that wide receivers could elect to transfer if they aren’t seeing the kind of playing time they want, or if they feel they are being passed on the depth chart by younger players.
With a new offensive system run by coordinator Garrett Riley, there might also be receivers (recruited by previous coordinators) who don’t think they are a good fit and might decide to move on.
If roster spots open up, that might translate into more spots in the Class of 2024 for wide receivers.
There is also the possibility that the staff decides to over-sign at receiver if the right player wants to commit to Clemson. Two prospects rank in the Top 100 of the 247Sports Composite that are still considering Clemson. Mike Matthews is the overall 9th-ranked player in the class, and Cam Coleman is the 54th. Either player could be a take for the Tigers if the staff concludes they are just too talented to turn away.
Lastly, there does seem to be a little bit of conflicting information out there right now, as another prospect, Alex Taylor from Greensboro, North Carolina, has stated that Clemson is still a viable option for him. Unless the staff is telling Staley one thing and Taylor another, then it would appear at least one of them does not fully understand the situation. From the fan’s perspective, we can’t be sure exactly.
While Clemson might be done at receiver in this cycle, it wouldn’t be too surprising if there are future additions to the room before signing day.
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