RECRUITING CORNER

Linebacker Lytle down to Clemson, Wisconsin

Posted

Linebacker Spencer Lytle of Bellflower, Calif., has seen enough.

He took an official visit to Wisconsin and an unofficial visit to Clemson in the last week, and he cancelled a planned official visit to Notre Dame for this past week. Now he's ready to make a decision between the Tigers and Badgers by the end of July.

"In no order Clemson and Wisconsin are currently at the top," Lytle said. "I really could make a decision anytime between now and Aug. 1, but there is nothing scheduled right now."

He will sign in December and enroll in January.

Swansea High School LB Greg Williams was one of the impressive performers at Clemson's camp this month, so much so the Tigers offered him. He returned to campus with his dad on Thursday for a more detailed look at things as he weighs that opportunity to join the Tigers.

"They just want to make sure when I say I'm all in, I'm all in," Williams said. "They really want to work with me. He (Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney) said he wants to mold me into a great player because he believes I'm a great fit at Clemson."

Williams said the idea of committing did cross his mind, but he still wants to talk to his coaches and family before finalizing his plans. He also wants to spend time with his team at some 7-on-7 competitions and might go to some other camps.

Williams said he wants to make a decision by the end of the month with East Carolina, Missouri and Central Florida also under consideration.

Clemson is hoping to add another quarterback to the 2019 recruiting class, and the Tigers like the looks of former Wake Forest commitment Brendon Clark (6-feet-2-inches, 209 pounds) of Midlothian, Va.

They'll have to beat out the likes of ND, North Carolina and Virginia Tech to land him. He visited Clemson earlier this month.

According to stats from MaxPreps, Clark was the ninth leading passer in the state of Virginia last season with 2,006 yards. He completed 61 percent of his attempts with 28 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He also runs well, so he sees a good fit in the Clemson offense.

"Obviously we run a lot of the same routes that they run, kind of the quick game stuff, and I can spread the ball down the field," Clark said.

Clark took an unofficial visit to VT on Thursday, an official to ND Friday through Sunday and an unofficial to UNC on Sunday.

Clark said he is looking for a school that can develop him as a QB, and Clemson's current QB room is not a turnoff to him.

"It doesn't really matter to me," he said. "The only thing I can do is go in there and work as hard as I can, and if I start, I start, and if I don't I'm just going to keep working and trying to get better."

He has set July 4 for his next commitment announcement.

Defensive back Jalyn Phillips of Lawrenceville, Ga., said he has made his decision. He had a final five of Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Southern California. He was offered by Clemson earlier this month in camp. At this point he is scheduled to announce on Aug. 20.

DB Shyheim Battle of Rocky Mount, N.C., was back at Clemson last week for a Swinney camp, another chance to interact with the coaches and another chance for them to gauge him in action at cornerback. Battle feels he impressed the coaches again, and the Tigers remain at the top of his list along with North Carolina State.

Battle said Clemson wants him to return for the All-In Cookout in late July.

"(Assistant) Coach (Mike) Reed said he wanted to go ahead and try to get a commit in, but I told him I'm just taking my time right now. I'm just taking all of my visits right now and stuff like that," Battle said.

Battle also visited NCSU and UNC last week. He might try to work in a visit to Ohio State, but it's the Tigers and NCSU still at the head of the pack with not much separating them.

"I'm still in between, not leaning too much anywhere," Battle said. "Fifty-50." He has set Dec. 15 for his commitment announcement.

Hanahan High's Cooper Dawson (6-5, 245) participated in a Swinney camp earlier this month as a defensive end. Unfortunately, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament and will miss his senior season. Last week, Clemson contacted him with an offer -- as an offensive tackle.

"A month ago, I probably would've said, 'Heck, no,' but I've gotten three offers now for offensive tackle," Dawson said. "The coaches keep saying, 'We can put you in the (National Football) League if you try as an offensive tackle.' It's something that I've got to consider."

Dawson also has offers from Colorado State, Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State, Army, Navy, UCF, South Florida and Old Dominion.

Offensive lineman JD Duplain of Strongsville, Ohio, visited Clemson last week. His offers include Boston College, Indiana, Michigan State and Arkansas.

Clemson is in the top six with OL Trevor Keegan of Crystal Lake, Ill.. The others are Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia and Alabama.

Clemson offered '20 QB DJ Uiagalelei of Bellflower, Calif., while he was at camp on Wednesday. He was offered by UGA last Tuesday and by Auburn on Saturday.

Sav'ell Smalls, a '20 LB from Seattle was offered by Clemson at camp last Wednesday. Some of his other offers are Alabama, Florida State, Southern Cal, Washington, Stanford, UGA, Louisiana State, ND and Oregon.

Reggie Grimes, a '20 DE from Mount Juliet, Tenn., was offered by Clemson while at camp on Thursday.

USC

DB Johnny Dixon of Tampa, Fla., made his official visit to USC over the weekend, the next step in his long running relationship with USC, which gave him his first offer.

"It was good; I liked everything about it," Dixon said. "Everything the coaches were saying was genuine because I hung out with the players, and they said the same thing about the coaches."

He also got a message from the coaches he was excited to hear.

"The coaches aren't scared to play me," he said.

USC is in Dixon's final five along with PSU, Miami, Alabama and Ohio State. He's not in a rush on a decision because he's not signing early. He has an official set with PSU for late September and might squeeze one in this summer to Miami, if not, during the season.

"Everything is the same," Dixon said. "They're still in the same place. I've always liked South Carolina."

DB Chris Steele of Bellflower, Calif., also made an official visit to USC over the weekend. That was his second visit with USC. He took an unofficial visit in March. Steele also has taken official visits to Oklahoma, LSU and Florida and is scheduled to visit Southern Cal this weekend. He plans to announce a commitment on July 7.

DB Jaydon Hill of Madison, Ala., made an unofficial visit to USC over the weekend, and USC remains a strong player with him.

"I'm one of the top guys they want to take in this class," Hill said. "He (defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson) is actually saying he develops DBs and nobody does it better than him. He said he's just the guy. My relationship with the coaches stands out a lot. I just know the history and defenses and the (NFL) first-rounders they've produced, (head) Coach (Will) Muschamp and T-Rob."

Hill said right now USC and Tennessee are neck and neck and he also visited Tennessee recently. He also added an offer from UF on Saturday. He's looking at some time in August for making his decision.

DB Jammie Robinson of Cordele, Ga., a frequent visitor to USC, was back for an overnight stay on Friday. That was his second visit of the month to Columbia. Two weeks ago he was in for his official visit.

Robinson said he has a final four now of USC, UGA, Auburn and Michigan. USC has long been among his favorites, and this visit didn't hurt the Gamecocks' cause.

"It helped South Carolina out a little more," he said. "Just them welcoming me on campus anytime I want to come up is pretty nice."

Robinson was at UGA recently for a 7-on-7 and also got the recruiting treatment from UGA. He is planning a return visit to UGA this weekend and also plans to get to Auburn over the weekend. He also wants to visit Michigan at some point as well.

"I'm just taking my time with it," he said. "Hopefully I'll have a decision by the season; if not, I'll wait until (December) signing day."

He said there is no leader among the four at this point.

USC QB commitment Ryan Hilinski was offered last week by Southern Cal after a camp. Much was written about that on the west coast, leading to nationwide speculation about which USC Hilinski prefers.

"I've been recruiting for South Carolina up until today," Hilinski explained. "I'm still recruiting after I got the other USC offer. I was texting guys after the camp. If that tells you all you need to know; I think that explains itself really.

It's a great offer for me. It's definitely meaningful and it shows that all my hard work is paying for sure. But right now, of course, I'm committed to South Carolina, and it's going to take a whole lot to change that. But if someone wants to put their best foot forward and try that, they can, but it's definitely going to take a lot because I'm committed 100 percent right now, and I'm recruiting my butt off."

Hilinski and his mom visited on USC Thursday through Saturday. Hilinski took his official visit to USC in April, and he said at this point he has no plans to schedule any other official visits.

DB Cam Smith of Westwood High in Blythewood competed at UGA's camp last week and walked out of Athens with an offer from head coach Kirby Smart. UGA join USC, Tennessee and UNC in his top four. He has camped at USC and UNC and has visited Tennessee. He will visit ECU.

USC continues to show strong interest, Smith said, with regular contact from the coaches.

"Coach Muschamp texts me and my mom almost every day, talking about the academics and the progress on the new football operations (building) and all the stuff like that," Smith said. "He keeps us updated on everything basically. I stay in touch with Coach T-Rob a lot too."

Smith has set Aug. 17 for his announcement, and he doesn't have a favorite among his four. He said his plan is to sign and graduate early.

Placekicker Ryan Fitzgerald of Moultrie, Ga., competed at USC's kicker camp on Saturday. He said he had the longest kickoff at 75 yards and was a finalist in the punt competition.

USC got a visit last week from running back Tahj Gary of Atlanta. USC is in his top eight.

Athlete Cameron Wynn of Chattanooga, Tenn., has USC in his top 10 along with Maryland, UF, VT, ND, Mississippi State, Louisville, Mississippi and West Virginia.

Wide receiver Keveon Mullins named a final four of USC, UGA, Louisville and his hometown Memphis Tigers. He was at USC for camp last week, and he visited Louisville on Friday. He also picked up an Arkansas offer on Saturday.

Ta'Chawn Brooks, a '20 recruit from Dutch Fork High in Irmo, camped at USC on Friday. He measures at 6-4, 275 pounds and ran a 4.9 40-yard dash at Wofford's camp. He's being recruited as an OT. He camped at Auburn on Saturday and Oregon State also is showing interest. He also camped at Kentucky.

USC offered '20 DB Brian Branch of Tyrone, Ga. He also lists offers from Louisville, ECU and Indiana. USC offered '20 RB Tirek Murphy of Middle Village, N.Y. Some other offers for him are Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Michigan, Duke, BC and Baylor.

USC offered '20 RB Lamy Constant of Brooklyn, N.Y. He also counts offers from Tennessee, UF, Texas A&M, Duke, LSU, Baylor, WF, BC and others.

USC offered '21 RB Dylan Betts-Pauley of Hoover, Ala., and '21 ATH Will Shipley of Weddington, N.C. He also has offers from Duke and WF.

USC OL target Anthony Whigan of Lackawanna Junior College in Pennsylvania added offers from Arkansas and Oklahoma. Whigan has taken an official visit to USC, and USC is working him hard.

"I talk to (OL) Coach (Eric) Wolford almost ever day," Whigan said. "We talk about everything. They're just happy that I got a chance to come down and visit them and they have a need for an older offensive tackle."

He recently visited Louisville officially and he has not set any more official visits though he's talked about seeing Ole Miss and PSU during the season. He's still looking at September or October for a decision.

CLEMSON AND USC

DE Dal'Mont Gourdine of Garrett Academy in North Charleston has offers from Nebraska, UCF, Coastal, Troy, Florida International, Georgia State and others. He camped at Clemson last week, hoping to add the Tigers to his list. He also visited Clemson for a spring practice and the spring game.

"I think I need to show them that I'm as good as any player in (the) 5A (classification)," Gourdinne said. "Just because my school is 2A, I think that's the reason why they haven't offered. It would be very special because it's instate."

Gourdine also went to UCF's spring game and has also visited Georgia State. He said he's also hearing some from USC. Gourdine, who had 15 QB sacks last season, said UCF is his favorite at this point.

WR Jalin Hyatt of Dutch Fork landed camp offers this month from VT and Duke. He's also been to USC and Clemson camps and has impressed all with his speed. USC and the Tigers both told him they are interested. Hyatt said he's also looking at Tennessee for an unofficial visit in the near future. Hyatt had 49 receptions for 937 yards and 13 TDs for a 5A state championship team last season.

The NCSU website InsidePackSports reported LB/RB Quavaris Crouch will visit NCSU today. He reportedly was at Michigan on Saturday and was at Tennessee last week. USC and Clemson are two others in pursuit.

LB Kalen DeLoach, who has Clemson and USC offers, told BamaOnline he will visit Alabama on Friday for the Champions Cookout. He also said he will take official visits to Michigan, Alabama, Auburn and FSU. He went to spring games for both USC and Clemson and has had them listed among his favorites. He also took an unofficial visit to USC.

USC offered '20 WR Ze'Vian Capers of Alpharetta, Ga. He also has offers from Clemson, Arkansas and Louisville.

OTHERS

Lakewood High QB Malik Richardson was offered by ECU.

WR Jacoby Pinckney of Dorman High in Roebuck named his final four as UGA, Michigan, Alabama and VT.

DB/WR Kenney Solomon of Socastee High in Myrtle Beach was offered by UCF after camping there. Some of his other offers are Charlotte, Marshall, Coastal and Miami (Ohio).

OL Daylen Powell of Summerville High committed to Western Kentucky.

ATH Jalon Calhoun of Southside High in Greenville committed to Georgia Tech. Calhoun plays QB but has been recruited primarily as a WR. Some of his other offers are PSU, ECU, Coastal, Furman, Mercer, The Citadel, Wofford and Charlotte.

Saluda High LB Raquon Hartley committed to Middle Tennessee State.

Greenville High QB Davis Beville committed to Pitt.

BASKETBALL

Zane Martin, a 6-4 transfer from Towson, reportedly was to visit Clemson over the weekend. He is not a graduate transfer and would have to sit out this season.

Martin averaged nearly 20 points per game last season and declared for the National Basketball Association draft but did not retain an agent and eventually withdrew. He played two seasons at Towson. He reportedly will decide between Clemson, Gonzaga, Seton Hall and New Mexico.

USC target AJ Lawson, a 6-7 player from Mississauga, Ontario, had 18 points and 12 rebounds in a 113-74 loss by his Canadian National Team to the United State in the gold medal game of the FIBA U18 Americas Championship played on Saturday. Lawson took an official to USC in late May. Creighton, Southern Methodist and Oregon are also involved.

In the same game, 6-6 '19 recruit Josiah James of Porter-Gaud in Charleston had nine points and eight rebounds for the USA. He's a Clemson and USC target.

Juwan Gary, a 6-6 '19 recruit from Gray Collegiate in Columbia, will take unofficial visits this summer to his final five schools of USC, Clemson, Alabama, NCSU and VT. He has been to Alabama and NCSU thus far, and he will visit VT at the end of this month. He will later take visits to Clemson and USC. He will take official visits in the fall before making his decision. Gary said he doesn't have a favorite from his final five at this point.

USC target Brandon Stone, a 6-11 '19 recruit, took an official visit to La Salle over the weekend. He has an official visit to PSU set for September.

According to a tweet by GetMeRecruited, the USC women offered 5-6 eighth-grader Lisa Thompson of Plainfield, Ill.

BASEBALL

USC landed a commitment from shortstop Quinntin Perez of Hancock JC in California. He had a .367 batting aveage with 12 doubles, three home runs and 18 runs batted in this season. He also stole 10 bases in 12 attempts. He committed 13 errors in 31 games with a .906 fielding percentage.

USC also gained a commitment for the '18 class from outfielder Andrew Eyster (6-3 190) of Ocala, Fla. He played last season at Sante Fe JC in Florida and hit .412 with 13 HRs and 53 RBI. He was a 32nd-round pick in the Major League Baseball draft earlier this month and a 27th-round pick out of high school.