Mailbag insider: Positions to watch, recruiting nuggets

Davidson not only looks the part, but watching him do the routine things at his position look leaps ahead of what was already on campus.

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - 7 hours ago

More questions. More answers.

There are plenty of football-related items to discuss. From where certain positions stand to some recruitment nuggets, there’s plenty for me to break down.

Let’s get to it.

BigAl31 - Who does the possible depth chart at RB, TE, and safety look like?

Outside of guard and punter, which we will discuss later, these positions fascinate me the most, especially running back and tight end.

Let’s start with tight end. As it would stand, this job feels like it’s Olsen Patt-Henry’s to lose, but with an injury that he is nursing for the spring. In my eyes, this is a massive spring for Christian Bentancur, who would assume those reps as the starter.

Dabo Swinney has flashed about his ability, and based on what we’ve seen, he certainly has lived up to that type of excitement. Josh Sapp should get his fair share of chances, but this feels like Bentancur’s spring to lose.

Quick note on the safeties: Ricardo Jones and Kylon Griffin are set to step up and make an impact, while Tyler Venables will continue to be a steady veteran presence.

Looking at running back, I truly believe that Gideon Davidson will follow a pretty similar freshman arc to Bryant Wesco, who might’ve been inserted into the starting lineup too late.

Davidson not only looks the part, but watching him do the routine things at his position look leaps ahead of what was already on campus, with Adam Randall being the only exception being new to the unit.

Randall has been leading the charge in practices we’ve watched, but we have been told that’s a leadership deal more than anything notable to the depth chart. His skillset certainly creates an advantage for the offense, but in my estimation, it is a two-horse race between Randall and Davidson. Jay Haynes will have his time to shine when he returns from his ACL injury in the fall, but right now, two new players to the unit have flashed the most.

Colberttiger - In football recruiting, what five-star recruits do we have a legitimate chance of getting?

Clemson has only offered three five-stars in this cycle (Darius Gray, Tyler Atkinson, Cederian Morgan), which doesn’t make for the largest net.

Right now, it feels like South Carolina has a ton of momentum with Gray, but he is slated to take an official visit with Clemson in the summer. We have more clarity with what the Tigers wish to do at wide receiver, which is only to take one more, and it feels like they will be very diligent with that final spot.

WRs Gordon Sellars, Craig Dandridge, and Morgan will all be on campus for that official visit in May, and with Sellars announcing his commitment in late April, the Tigers may already have their last wideout for this class.

The most interesting of the bunch has to be Tyler Atkinson, who is, without a doubt, the crown jewel of this class in Clemson’s eyes. I think they have a legitimate shot at him, but Georgia certainly holds plenty of weight here.

So, to answer your question, I’d say they have a shot at all of them, but landing one will be a distinct challenge when raising the stock of this class further.

GoTigers21 - What is the plan for Adam Randall? Is he moving to RB full time or will he still be running out there as a WR?

Randall is in a new spot and is there to stay. Rarely does someone who switches positions circle back to square one, especially later in their career.

I could see Randall being thrown back to the position if there was an injury bug and a need for someone with experience in this system, but that’s about it. You will still see Randall as a pass catcher, just in unique ways out of the backfield.

NOVATiger - What does the starting 3, 4 and 5 WR set look like coming out of spring, or at least as of right now.

As of right now, your top guys are Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco, and TJ Moore. Beyond that, however, Clemson still has a lot to work with.

Tyler Brown will add a lot of firepower to this group, and will likely be a name that goes under the radar, given the star-studded cast built while he was dealing with injury. There’s also Tristan Smith, who doesn’t have the speed of those ahead of him but has a unique body type that gives the Tigers more of a dynamic look that they can impose on defenders.

Cole Turner and Misun “Tink” Kelley will be rotational pieces, but those five listed above will steal the show.

Jstone D329 - How many recruits are we likely to take in our 2026 football class and what is the positional breakdown?

Right now, Clemson has 12 commitments for 2026, which is one shy of the 13 enrollees for the 2025 class.

I would expect that number to reach at least 20, if not double of the current pledges, depending on if some late bloomers in this class arrive on the scene. Clemson will add one running back and one more receiver and will likely take another tackle in this cycle.

That’s just on the offensive side alone, with only three of the 12 pledges for this class rolling on the other side. The Tigers will certainly add to their pass-rushing ranks, with DeMonte Capehart, Peter Woods, and TJ Parker all likely to depart after this season.

Based on which positions haven’t occupied space in the class and those still on the way, I can tell you that this cycle’s number will be much more comfortable than how many felt about 2025.

We will further dive into this once the madness of March subsides.