When 2025 prospect Samari Reed committed to Ole Miss, I went through some other targets who would likely announce their destinations before their senior seasons began.
One of them was linebacker Kamar Archie, who was long considered to be choosing between Clemson and defending national champion Michigan.
It seemed Archie liked Clemson, but one can never discount the allure of the defending champion, so it wouldn’t have been a shock if he became a Wolverine.
As happens sometimes in recruiting, a prospect can take a hard left. A few weeks ago, Rutgers's name started popping up. Yesterday, Archie verbally committed to the Scarlet Knights.
🚨BREAKING🚨 4-star LB Kamar Archie has committed to Rutgers🗡️
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) July 5, 2024
Read: https://t.co/7Jcc11nKX7 pic.twitter.com/0VDJw29rHi
Archie is from Trenton, New Jersey, so Rutgers is close to home. As with all recruitments, we never know how much NIL played a part, but I can’t blame someone for choosing the local school.
Archie becomes another name the Tigers challenged for but didn’t get, but don’t worry, this trend will likely shift, at least a little bit.
2026 quarterback prospect Tait Reynolds is announcing his commitment on Sunday. There are five Crystal Balls on 247Sports projecting him to select Clemson.
2025 wide receiver Dillon Alfred de-committed from Ole Miss a couple of weeks ago and immediately announced a Clemson offer. The proximity of those two things suggests Alfred was reopening his recruitment specifically to get an offer from the Tigers.
There isn’t a timetable for Alfred’s commitment but it seems he will likely be a Tiger. The most recent Crystal Balls on 247 point toward Clemson.
The Tigers will be hosting their All-In Cookout later this month, and we can expect them to bring in their favorite candidates for the few spots remaining in the Class of 2025. They need more prospects at offensive line and possibly linebacker.
They are still in the running for linebacker Logan Anderson. They are also in the game for safety Jordan Young, a safety/athlete prospect from Monroe, North Carolina. He is ranked 74th overall in the 247Sports Composite.