Analyzing Clemson Tigers Football 2027 Offensive Recruiting Class
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Clemson is on a recruiting tear. It’s gotten so good that I’ve been swayed to enjoy diving into the film and evaluating the recruits! Here’s my full analysis on every offensive recruit committed as of noon on June 2nd. Check out my video breakdown below or the full article below that:
Quarterback
Kharim Hughley – 247Sports Composite: 4-star / 0.9312
Hughley’s stock has only risen since his commitment to Clemson in July of 2025. He recently had a banner performance at the Elite 11 retreat which followed a strong junior season. I rewatched his film and was quickly reminded what excited me so much about him. He is only 5-foot-11, but his ability to evade pressure and throw off-platform allows him to get off accurate throws even under dire pressure. He isn’t afraid to step into throws when a hit is coming and can absorb the contact with his thick frame. He’s a gun slinger much like Clemson’s last Gainesville High School QB (Deshaun Watson) and will be fun to watch. He threw for 34 TDs and 10 INTs as a junior while completing 172 of 286 passes (60.1%) for 2,596 yards. He is only a year behind Tait Reynolds so those two will compete to replace Christopher Vizzina. The Tigers will have an exciting, athletic signal caller either way.
Wide Receiver
Jamarin “Waffle House” Simmons– 247Sports Composite: 4-star / 0.9504
Nicknamed “Waffle House” because he is always open, Jamarin Simmons is a high-end four-star recruit from Tallahassee, FL. He chose Clemson over Florida and Florida State.
At 5-11, 165 lbs he projects as a slot receiver, but he played both inside and outside in high school and should be thought of more as an Antonio Williams than a Hunter Renfrow style receiver. He tallied over 900 receiving yards both last season and as a sophomore the year prior. He has good speed as evidenced by an 11.36 100-meter dash which isn’t quite Gideon Davidson/Connor Salmin level speed, but still quite good, especially if his route running is advanced and he lines up in the slot. With Naeem Burroughs coming in for 2026 and then Simmons in 2027, the Tigers are a good place at the slot. Notably, Burroughs is 180 lbs and Simmons is only 165 lbs. It would be most ideal if could add some lean muscle in his senior year and the following offseason before taking the field at Clemson.
Trey Wimbley – 247Sports Composite: 4-star / 0.9043
App State was Wembley’s top offer before SMU and Ole Miss offered in the summer of 2025. Clemson followed and shortly thereafter got his commitment. This offer list may seem short for a 4-star, however he was originally a 2028 recruit who reclassified to the 2027 class so his recruiting process was sped up. Wimbley’s father (Prince Wimbley) played with Coach Swinney on the 1992 Alabama National Championship team and Trey went to DW Daniel High School so he was likely destined to be a Clemson Tiger anyway.
He ran track and shows good speed running a 11.09 100-meter dash. This shows up in the freshman year film (the only film publicly available) where we looks like a legit deep threat on the outside. He also has a strong 4-star rating and in the most simplistic way looks the part with a muscular 6-foot-0 frame. Given he reclassified, I’d expect some additional development time at Clemson, but he posted 1,072 receiving yards as a sophomore so this certainly seems like a legit high-end take.
Julian Cromartie – 247Sports Composite: 3-star / 0.8650
Cromartie canceled official visits to Kentucky and Arkansas to chose Clemson during Clemson’s big recruiting weekend. He also held offers from Texas, Texas Tech, and Georgia among other elite programs. He had 824 receiving yards in the football rich state of Texas. His tape doesn’t show elite speed, but it does highlight his strength, toughness, good hands, and ability to high point the football. He’s not as thick as Joe Ngata, but his game reminds me a bit of his or EJ Williams. Not speedsters, but they’d go up and fight for the ball. If we want to be more optimistic, his upside could look like Mike Williams or Tee Higgins.
Running Back
Gary Walker – 247Sports Composite: 4-star / 0.9394
Clemson’s running back recruiting has been interesting. The class of 2026 had no running backs. 2025 brought highly touted 4-star Gideon Davidson, but the two classes before that had a group 3-stars prospects. All of this led to a converted WR starting at RB last year and Chris Johnson Jr. coming via the transfer portal this offseason. With Gary Walker in the 2027 class, Coach Spiller and the Tigers have hit big. Walker is a legitimate bell cow back. He ran for 1,669 yards (9.4 YPC) and 20 TDs as a junior.
Watching his tape, I see a physical between the tackles runner — not a scat back or outside runner. At the same time, speed is always what stands out most in running back highlights and his breakaway speed appears better than Adam Randall, Phil Mafah, or Will Shipley. Of course, speed isn’t everything as David Eziomume showed blazing speed on tape but has seen only minimal opportunities as he has yet to master the more technical aspects of the position. Likewise, Gideon Davidson looked like the next coming of CJ Spiller on tape but was only adequate as a true freshman. Still, as hard as it can be to translate a running back’s high school tape to Power 4 football, Walker is an impressive prospect and a critical win on the recruiting trail at a position where they badly needed it.
Tight End
Carter Blackwell– 247Sports Composite: 3-star / 0.8750
At the risk of reacting more to a well-done highlight tape than the player, I love what I see with Carter Blackwell. Not since Ronan O’Connell has a 3-star recruit’s tape impressed me this much. The diversity of skill showcased stands out. The Lee County (South Georgia) prospect clocks in a 6-foot-4 220lbs and showcases his skills as a big pass catching target, especially in the intermediate game and short/goal line passes. He also lays some strong blocks and levels a few big hits on special teams. In addition, he is a quick and strong blocker, getting to where he needs to be to spring running backs for a big time.
Nicholas Pollock– 247Sports Composite: 3-star / 0.8600
At the time of his commitment, Pollock was the lowest rated recruit in the class, but that’s largely because he played outside linebacker and projects as a TE in college. That defensive experience lends credence to his toughness and at 6-foot-3 220lbs I’d expect his blocking to become a strength. He may take time to develop as a pass catcher, but with the new 105-man roster limit taking a few extra players with long-term upside is good practice.
His father is Georgia legend David Pollock. Since becoming a father myself, I’ve enjoyed listening to his Family Values Podcast which you can find here. They’ve interviewed Dabo Swinney and David Pollock expressed his appreciation for the Christian values Coach Swinney refuses to sway from. That likely played a big role in his son Nicholas choosing Clemson over Wake Forest and other offers. I expect Pollock to be a hardworking, character guy with legitimate upside, but it may time some time to develop.
Offensive Line
Luke Starcevic – 247Sports Composite: 4-star / 0.9131
Hailing from 30-minutes outside of Fargo, ND, Starcevic likely didn’t see the highest level of competition, but he can do it all. He plays defensive end, tight end, and offensive line. He is physical, fast, and big. We’ll see how well he adapts to adding weight to playing offensive line full time (he is listed at 250lbs right now), but if he can keep his athleticism with more weight, he could be a top-flight tackle. 247 lists him as an interior offensive lineman, but tackle seems more likely. There could be a longer developmental timeline and some built-in risk with the lower competition and weight gain needed, but I love the upside. Other top programs do too. Michigan, Oregon, Oklahoma, and Kansas were all in on this recruitment, but the Tigers won out.
JJ Brown – 247Sports Composite: 4-star / 0.9021
When you go into metro Atlanta and beat out Georgia for an offensive linemen, that is about as good as it gets in recruiting. Brown is a 6-foot-5 300lbs true left tackle for Parkview High School (where my sister attended!). His tape shows good initial quickness and impressive pass blocking.
Elijah Morrison – 247Sports Composite: 4-star / 0.8933
Hailing from the same metro-Atlanta county as JJ Brown (Gwinnett), Morrison is another Peach State prospect with an officially listed UGA. He plays right guard and is a mauler in run blocking. He moves well on pulls and gets out ahead of the runner better than you’d expect from someone just a hair under 300lbs. There’s minimal film of him pass blocking, but his offer list is strong enough to assuage any real worry. He is in some ways the opposite prospect as JJ Brown in that he is an interior lineman with run blocking prowess while JJ Brown is a tackle with most of his film showcasing his pass protection.
Carter Jones – 247Sports Composite: 4-star / 0.8911
After official visits to Penn State, Georgia, Tennessee, Carter Jones committed to the Tigers four days before his official visit to Clemson. His high school runs a Wing-T offense so he lacks traditional pass-pro reps. I’d imagine this extends his developmental timeline, but at 6-foot-5 291lbs with an excellent offer list the long-term upside is high. He projects as an interior O-lineman.
Don’t forget to check out the video breakdown of this class and subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
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