Clemson featured prominently in ESPN "Position U" rankings

Clemson's D-line group has built up quite a reputation.

by TigerNet Staff - Mon Aug 02 14:01:46 GMT-04:00 2021

Clemson landed on four top-10 lists of the best "Position U" schools Monday.

Led by its D-line group at No. 5 overall, Clemson is also ranked eighth for the top linebacker schools, ninth for the top WR schools and also ninth for the top QB schools.

ESPN's David Hale describes the analysis as being guided by "a combination of college success, draft stock and NFL success. (ESPN's) formula awards points for all-conference and All-America selections, rewarding the best college performers. It awards points on a sliding scale based on where a player is drafted, rewarding impressive NFL evaluations."

Clemson had a number of mentions in the rising position groups category. At QB: "Clemson, too, continues to burnish its QBU résumé, with D.J. Uiagalelei poised to be the Tigers' next star at the position, and 2022 commit Cade Klubnik taking home MVP honors at the Elite 11."

On the OL: "For all of Clemson's success over the past decade, the offensive line has been largely ignored. Jackson Carman was taken in Round 2 of this year's draft, the highest a Tigers O-lineman has been selected since 1971, but the future looks far brighter. John Simpson and Tyler Shatley are now established NFL starters, and the Tigers inked eight blue-chip linemen in their past two recruiting classes, including five-star Tristan Leigh. They've got two more committed for 2022, too."

And at LB also: "Clemson has had a terrific run at linebacker under defensive coordinator Brent Venables, including 2020 first-round pick Isaiah Simmons and third-rounder Tanner Muse, moving it up to No. 8 in our rankings. Overall, the Tigers have seen five linebackers taken in the past six drafts, and have inked blue-chippers like Trenton Simpson and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in recent years."

Clemson is one of a few schools that lay claim to the "WRU" title, but ESPN's ranking has Southern Cal on top there.