Clemson Football has received its first commitment of the 2024 class from an offensive lineman.
Ronan O’Connell, an offensive lineman from Franklin, Tennessee, has announced his verbal commitment to coach Thomas Austin and the Tigers.
O’Connell is a 3-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite ranking. He is a 4-star prospect per Rivals. He is getting ready to start his senior season at Fred J. Page High School.
Already measuring 6’-4.5” and 290 pounds, O’Connell has the size that can’t be taught. He is projected as an inside lineman, likely playing guard at the college level.
O’Connell made his official visit to Clemson on the first weekend of June with several other prospects. He recently visited Tennessee, tweeting out that the trip was fun. Being a native of the state, many thought he would likely end up on Rocky Top but ended up choosing a better shade of orange. He also took an official visit to Wisconsin.
When you review O’Connell’s Hudl tape, you will see exactly what you would expect regarding his size. He is a big boy who has a lot of power. There are several examples of him pushing defenders straight back for several yards.
What is a bit surprising is that he does tend to line up on the outside in high school, instead of the inside where he is projected. After watching for a few minutes, I can see why scouts might not think he has the side-to-side mobility needed to play tackle at the next level. What that means, however, is that O’Connell is going to have above-average mobility for a guard. There are several examples of him pulling and leading the charge for the running back or the receiver on the reverse.
The Tigers have been working hard on the offensive line group for 2024 for some time now. They are looking to take three offensive linemen in this cycle, so they are hoping to have more commitments soon. William Satterwhite and Fletcher Westphal are both expected to announce their verbal commitments in the near future.
Clemson Football hopes to bring in more offensive line recruits to join Ronan O’Connell
William Satterwhite
Satterwhite is a 4-star prospect in the 247 Composite. He is the 180th overall prospect and is listed as an inside lineman, indicating a likelihood he will play guard or center at the next level. Satterwhite is from Akron, Ohio, but it appears he is looking for a warmer climate. The only two official visits he took were to Clemson and Tennessee.
Satterwhite will announce his destination on July 7th, and he has made it clear which two schools are his finalists.
https://twitter.com/WilliamSatt50/status/1675582995112099841?s=20
There are no Crystal Balls for him on 247Sports.
Fletcher Westphal
Westphal is also a 4-star offensive line prospect on the 247Sports Composite. Unlike Satterwhite, Westphal is projected to play tackle. He is the 290th-ranked prospect overall and the 25th-ranked offensive tackle.
He has announced that he will commit on July 10th.
End of a chapter… commitment on July 10th pic.twitter.com/kkJqiJuwYJ
— Fletcher Westphal (@FletcherWestph1) June 28, 2023
Westphal is from Leesburg, Virginia, which is in the Washington DC metro area. He officially visited Clemson, Georgia, Florida, and Arkansas. The Tigers want to take multiple linemen this season, so starting with Satterwhite on the inside and Westphal on the outside would be a great start. There are three Crystal Balls for Clemson on 247Sports for Westphal currently.