Elite Junior Day Primer: Coaches set to host a bevy of top prospects

No. 1 offensive tackle prospect David Sanders Jr. is set to be in town for the Elite Retreat.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Jan 27 07:00:02 GMT-04:00 2024

The first big recruiting weekend of 2024 is here.

The Clemson coaching staff is hosting the first Elite Junior Day of 2024 starting today, and several of the Tigers’ top prospects and committed players are in town for the event.

All eight members of the 2025 recruiting class – the committed prospects – will be in attendance. Those recruits are WR Carleton Preston of Woodbridge (VA) Freedom, newest commit and DE Ari Watford of Norfolk (VA) Maury, RB Gideon Davidson of Lynchburg (VA) Liberty Christian Academy, DL Amare Adams of Florence (SC) South Florence, OL Easton Ware of Lynchburg (VA) Liberty Christian Academy, QB Blake Hebert of Lawrence (MA) Central Catholic, Logan Brooking of Savannah (GA) Savannah Christian Prep, and ATH Marquise Henderson of Belton-Honea Path (SC).

There is, as we expected, a big emphasis on the offensive line. As we noted earlier this week, the headliner of that group is 5-star offensive lineman David Sanders of Charlotte (NC) Providence Day. Clemson’s coaching staff stopped in Charlotte last week to check in on Sanders and stayed to watch Sanders’ younger sister play basketball.

Sanders is the No. 1 offensive tackle prospect in the nation.

The other OL prospects are 4-star Chauncey Gooden of Nashville (TN) Lipscomb Academy, 4-star Mason Short of Evans (GA), 4-star Brayden Jacobs of Buford (GA), 4-star Jaylan Beckley of Addison (TX) Trinity Christian Academy, 3-star Mal Waldrep of Phenix City (AL) Central, and 3-star Gavin Blanchard of Tampa (FL) Jesuit.

Blanchard is new to our list. He currently does not hold a Clemson offer, but he has eight offers from Louisville, TCU, Indiana, Purdue, UCF, UAB, Tulane, and Middle Tennessee State. He visited Clemson for games twice last season.

Short announced his decommitment from Alabama after former Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement. He is a unanimous 4-star prospect and ranked as high as the No. 71 prospect in the nation (ESPN).

The defensive headliner is 5-star DE Elijah Griffin of Savannah (GA) Christian Prep. He is the 247Sports’ No. 1 defensive line recruit in the 2025 class. The Tigers have a great shot for Griffin because of recruiter Nick Eason – the two have a solid relationship.

As a junior, he racked up 97 tackles, including 31 stops for loss and 17.5 sacks. The season prior, he was in on 82 stops, 30 coming in the backfield with 14.5 sacks.

Four-star defensive end Bryce Davis of Greensboro (NC) Grimsley is another prime defensive prospect on hand. Davis, who camped at Clemson last summer, knows what he wants from the visit.

“I was there last year, so I kind of know what I want to see,” Davis told TigerNet. “I just want to see how Clemson feels when we're walking around campus, get to view everything, get to talk about academics a little bit more. Last year I was a sophomore when I went, so this year I'll be a junior. So, it'll be more personable. So I get to talk more because 2025, we're up right now, so they'll have more to tell me, more about the school, more about why I should come. So I'm just excited to hear all of that.”

Davis said that Georgia, Clemson, and Duke are recruiting him the hardest.

“They’ve all been recruiting me for a while, and Clemson since I was a sophomore. I didn't get that Clemson offer until going into my junior year,” Davis said. “All of those three schools have been recruiting me really hard, stopping by and staying in contact with me since my injury last year (torn meniscus). I mean, that meant a lot. I won't forget that.”

The industry-generated 247Sports Composite tabs Davis as the nation’s No. 8 edge and No. 66 prospect overall.

Other defensive prospects expected are 4-star DB Dallas Golden of Tampa (FL) Berkeley Prep, 4-star LB Jaedon Harmon of Rome (GA), 4-star S Jordan Young of Monroe (NC), 3-star CB Mark Manfred of Marietta (GA) Sprayberry, 4-star LB Brett Clatterbaugh of Culpeper (VA) Eastern View, and 4-star DT Isaiah Campbell of Durham (NC).