Top 10 prospects in South Carolina for 2014

Clemson has a commitment from No. 6 on the list - Jae’lon Oglesby.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri Feb 15 08:26:57 GMT-05:00 2013

Yes, basketball season is in full swing and baseball season starts this week. Spring football practice is still just under a month away and National Signing Day 2013 is firmly in the rearview mirror.

What does that mean? It means it is time to take a look at recruiting for 2014 of course. TigerNet will run a series of articles on the top players in the surrounding states as well as take a look at how Clemson’s 2014 recruiting class shapes up.

Today, we start with the Top 10 high school rising seniors in the state of South Carolina, and where they stand in their college recruitment. In 2012, the Tigers landed four of what I considered the top ten prospects in the state. Last year, Clemson landed two of the in-state guys in 2013 in Mike Williams Mike Williams
Wide Receiver
6-5, 205
Holly Hill, SC
View Full Profile (No. 2) and Ben Boulware Ben Boulware
Outside Linebacker
6-1, 230
Anderson, SC
View Full Profile (No. 3), while Jadar Johnson Jadar Johnson
Defensive Back
6-1, 180
Orangeburg, SC
View Full Profile (No. 12) landed just outside of the top group.

1. Shaq Davidson Shaq Davidson
Wide Receiver
6-1, 175
Gaffney, SC
View Full Profile, WR, Gaffney – Davidson played the first six games at wide receiver and caught 24 passes for 340 yards. After six games, however, he moved to quarterback and hit on 66-of-124 passes for 901 yards. He also rushed 102 times for 598 yards. He has 11 offers, including Clemson, but currently has South Carolina on top. The Tigers are right there in the mix behind South Carolina, along with UNC and Ohio St.

2. Donell Stanley, OT, Latta – This 6-3, 311-pounder is the most highly-recruited athlete to come out of Latta since Raymond Felton. I am hearing that the Gamecocks have a slight lead for his services, with Alabama, Clemson and UNC are next in line.

3. Christian Miller Christian Miller
Outside Linebacker
6-3, 200
Columbia, SC
View Full Profile, OLB, Spring Valley – Miller has offers from most of the big names, including the two in-state schools. Former South Carolina coach Brad Lawing has a good relationship with Miller and has Florida in the lead. Alabama and Florida St. (former Clemson coach Billy Napier is his recruiter of record for the Noles) are next in line.

4. Dexter Wideman Dexter Wideman
Defensive Tackle
6-4, 275
Saluda, SC
View Full Profile, DT, Saluda – Wideman is another in the line of solid defensive line prospects to come through the state. As of right now, he has South Carolina with a slight lead with Clemson right in there in the mix.

5. Jacob Park, QB, Stratford – Park is a pro-style quarterback who has offers from many of the big names, but Clemson hasn’t offered because of DeShaun Watson DeShaun Watson
Quarterback
6-3, 190
Gainesville, GA
View Full Profile. Virginia Tech is the leader.

6. Jae’lon Oglesby, RB, Daniel – I have Oglesby much higher than many of the scouting services because I’ve seen him in person so much and I know this kid can play. His first step is explosive and he makes cuts that are just fun to watch. If he didn’t live in the shadow of Clemson and wasn’t considered a Clemson lean for so long, he would be higher on other people’s lists as well. He is already committed to Clemson, so the lack of drama in his recruiting hurts him with some services that need that to continue to sell subscriptions.

7. Cannon Smith Cannon Smith
Tight End
6-5, 235
Columbia, SC
View Full Profile, TE, Hammond School – Smith’s dad played for Clemson’s national championship team and he is a Clemson legacy who has been committed since last year. Big body, good hands and solid pickup for the Tigers.

8. Naquez Pringle Naquez Pringle
Defensive Tackle
6-3, 275
Hemingway,
View Full Profile, DT, Hemingway – Pringle has two offers – Clemson and South Carolina. Both schools offered following camp visits last June, and Clemson offered first on June 14th and the Gamecocks offered two days later. Right now South Carolina has the lead.

9. Kevin “K.C.” Crosby, TE/OLB, Bamberg – Another in a long line of Bamberg prospects. Crosby has been on Clemson’s radar since his freshman year. Crosby has a top four of Alabama, Clemson, Florida and South Carolina. He doesn’t grant a lot of interviews, so it’s hard to gauge just where he stands with each school. However, his dad and his uncle help out at Dabo’s camp each June, and Bamberg has a long tradition of sending players to Clemson.

10. Kalan Ritchie Kalan Ritchie
Tight End
6-5, 215
Goose Creek, SC
View Full Profile, TE, Goose Creek – Ritchie received a Clemson offer last October, and he has the Tigers in the top two along with, of course, South Carolina. He also has offers from Virginia Tech, N.C. State and UConn.