Clemson Tigers Football 2027 Offensive Recruiting Class Analysis

Clemson is in the recruiting phase. It turned out so good that I’m convinced I’ll enjoy diving into the film and evaluating the recruits! Here’s my full analysis of every offensive recruit committed as of June 2 at noon. Watch my video overview below or the full article below:

Kharim Hughley – 247Sports Composite: 4-star / 0.9312

Hughley’s stock has only risen since committing to Clemson in July 2025. He recently had a standout performance at the Elite 11 retreat, which followed a strong junior season. I watched his film again and was quickly reminded of what excited me about him. He stands only 6 feet tall, but his ability to avoid pressure and throw off the platform allows him to make accurate throws even under intense pressure. He isn’t afraid to step into throws when a hit is coming and can absorb contact with his thick frame. He’s a gun-slinger just 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’s only a year behind Tait Reynolds, so those two will compete to replace Christopher Vizzina. Either way, the Tigers will have an exciting, athletic signal caller.

Jamarin “Waffle House” Simmons – 247Sports Composite: 4-star / 0.9504

Jamarin Simmons, nicknamed “Waffle House” because he is always open, is a high-end four-star recruit from Tallahassee, Florida. He chose Clemson over Florida and Florida State.

At 5-11, he weighs 165 pounds as a slot receiver, but he played both inside and outside in high school and should be viewed more as an Antonio Williams than a Hunter Renfrow-style receiver. He racked up over 900 receiving yards both last season and as a sophomore the year before. He has good speed, as evidenced by an 11.36 100-yard dash, which isn’t quite Gideon Davidson/Connor Salmin speed, but still pretty good, especially when his route running progresses and he lines up. With Naeem Burroughs in 2026 and then Simmons in 2027, the Tigers are a good spot on the list. Notably, Burroughs weighs 180 lbs and Simmons only 165 lbs. Ideally, he could put on some muscle mass his senior year and the following season 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 suit and received its commitment shortly thereafter. This offer list may seem short for a 4-star, but he was originally a 2028 recruit who was reclassified to the class of 2027, so his recruiting process was expedited. Wimbley’s father (Prince Wimbley) played with Coach Swinney on the 1992 Alabama National Championship team and Trey attended DW Daniel High School, so he was probably destined to be a Clemson Tiger anyway.

He ran on the track and showed good speed during an 11.09 100 meter sprint. This is evident in the freshman film (the only film publicly available), where we appear from the outside as a legitimate, deep threat. He also has a strong four-star rating and looks in the most simplistic way with a muscular 6-foot-4 frame. Considering he’s been 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 legitimate high-end draft.

Julian Cromartie – 247Sports Composite: 3-star / 0.8650

Cromartie canceled official visits to Kentucky and Arkansas to pick Clemson during Clemson’s big recruiting weekend. He also had offers from Texas, Texas Tech and Georgia, among others. He had 824 yards in the football-rich state of Texas. His tape doesn’t show top speed, but it does highlight his strength, toughness, good hands and ability to take the football to the next level. He’s not as fat as Joe Ngata, but his game reminds me a bit of his or EJ Williams. No speedsters, but they went forward and fought for the ball. If we want to be more optimistic, his upside could look like Mike Williams or Tee Higgins.

Gary Walker – 247Sports Composite: 4-star / 0.9394

Clemson’s running back recruitment 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 of 3-star prospects. All of this led to a converted WR starting at RB last year and Chris Johnson Jr. came through the transfer portal this offseason. With Gary Walker in the class of 2027, Coach Spiller and the Tigers have hit the big time. Walker is a legitimate bell cow back. He ran for 1,669 yards (9.4 YPC) and 20 touchdowns as a junior.

When I watch his tape, I see a physical runner between the tackles – not a scatback or outside runner. At the same time, speed is always what stands out most in the running back’s highlights and his breakaway speed seems better than Adam Randall, Phil Mafah or Will Shipley. Of course, speed isn’t everything, as David Eziomume showed tremendous speed on tape, but he has seen minimal opportunities as he has yet to master the more technical aspects of the position. Likewise, Gideon Davidson looked like the next CJ Spiller movie, but he only suited up as a true freshman. But as difficult as it can be to translate a high school running back’s tape to Power 4 football, Walker is an impressive prospect and a crucial win on the recruiting trail at a position where they desperately needed it.

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’m seeing with Carter Blackwell. Not since Ronan O’Connell has three-star recruiting tape has he impressed me this much. The diversity of skills on display is striking. The prospect from Lee County (South Georgia) clocks in at 6-foot-1 and shows his skills as a big pass-catcher, especially in the mid-game and short/goal-line passes. He also lays down some strong blocks and levels some big hits on special teams. Plus, he’s a quick and strong blocker who gets where he needs to go to jump on running backs for big time.

Nicholas Pollack – 247Sports Composite: 3-star / 0.8600

At the time he committed, Pollock was the lowest-rated recruit in the class, but that’s largely because he played outside linebacker and projected as a TE in college. That defensive experience lends credence to his toughness and at 6-foot-1, I would expect his blocking to become a strength. It may take time to develop as a pass catcher, but with the new 105-man roster limit, it’s good practice to sign a few extra players with long-term benefit.

His father is Georgia legend David Pollock. Since becoming a father myself, I enjoy listening to his Family Values ​​Podcast, which you can find here here. They interviewed Dabo Swinney and David Pollock expressed his appreciation for the Christian values ​​that Coach Swinney does not want to deviate 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 hard-working, high-character guy with legitimate upside, but it may take some time to develop.

Luke Starcevic – 247Sports Composite: 4-star / 0.9131

Hailing from 30 minutes outside of Fargo, ND, Starcevic probably hasn’t seen 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 adjusts to adding weight to playing offensive line full-time (he’s currently listed at 250 pounds), but if he can maintain his athleticism with more weight, he could be a top player. 247 lists him as an offensive lineman, but a tackle seems more likely. There could be a longer development timeline and some built-in risk as there is less competition and weight gain required, but I love the upside. Other top programs do that too. Michigan, Oregon, Oklahoma and Kansas all participated in this recruitment, but the Tigers won.

JJ Brown – 247Sports Composite: 4-star / 0.9021

If you go into metro Atlanta and beat Georgia for offensive linemen, that’s about as good as it gets for recruiting. Brown is a 6-foot-4, 300-pound true left tackle for Parkview High School (which my sister attended!). His tape shows good initial speed 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 at run blocking. He moves well in the pull and carries himself better on the runner than you’d expect from someone who weighs just a hair under 300 pounds. There’s little film of him blocking his pass, but his list of offers is strong enough to assuage any real concerns. He is in some ways the opposite prospect to JJ Brown, in that he is an interior lineman with run-blocking ability, while JJ Brown is a tackle with most of his film showing in 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 has a Wing-T offense, so he lacks traditional pass-pro reps. I imagine this extends his development timeline, but at 6-foot-4 and an excellent list of offers, the long-term upside is big. He projects as an interior O-lineman.

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