Clemson adds 2021 signees in early signing period
The early signing period begins on Wednesday, and Clemson is expected to lock up the majority of its 2021 recruiting class then. Dabo Swinney and his staff enter Signing Day with a top 5 recruiting class, led by five-star prospects Will Shipley and Barrett Carter.
Clemson is hoping to land a couple of surprises on Wednesday in No. 1 overall prospect Korey Foreman and No. 11 overall recruit Tristan Leigh. However, while both players are expected to sign during the early signing period, they are not releasing their decisions until next month.
Here’s a breakdown of the players Clemson announced as having signed on Wednesday, officially welcoming them to the Tigers program:
Players who have signed with Clemson
Ryan Linthicum — offensive lineman, Damascus, Maryland (7:08 a.m.)
Zaire Patterson — defensive end, Winston-Salem, North Carolina (7:11 a.m.)
Nathaniel Wiggins — cornerback, Atlanta, Georgia (7:14 a.m.)
Troy Stellato — wide receiver, Fort Lauderdale, Florida (7:17 a.m.)
Dacari Collins — wide receiver, Atlanta, Georgia (7:20 a.m.)
Cade Denhoff — defensive end, Plant City, Florida (7:23 a.m.)
Phil Mafah — running back, Loganville, Georgia (7:26 a.m.)
Payton Page — defensive tackle, Greensboro, North Carolina (7:29 a.m.)
Bubba Chandler — quarterback, Bogart, Georgia (7:31 a.m.)
Will Shipley — running back, Weddington, North Carolina (7:34 a.m.)
Barrett Carter — safety, Suwanee, Georgia (7:37 a.m.)
Marcus Tate — offensive line, Sunrise, Florida (7:40 a.m.)
Will Taylor — quarterback, Irmo, South Carolina (7:41 a.m.)
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. — linebacker, Mt. Laurel, New Jersey (8:10 a.m.)
Andrew Mukuba — safety, Austin, Texas (8:13 a.m.)
Dietrick Pennington — offensive line, Memphis, Tennessee (8:21 a.m.)
Jake Briningstool — tight end, Brentwood, Tennessee (8:24 a.m.)
Beaux Collins — wide receiver, Bellflower, California (10:21 a.m.)
Ryan Linthicum, OL
Four stars | 6-foot-4, 275 pounds | Damascus, Maryland
One of the top centers in the nation, Linthicum was the first player to officially sign with Clemson Wednesday morning. He is rated as the No. 4 center in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Linthicum was invited to play in the Under Armour All-America Game. He played three sports at Damascus High — football, basketball and lacrosse. He did not have a 2020 football season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He plans to enroll at Clemson in January.
Zaire Patterson, DE
Four stars | 6-foot-6, 230 pounds | Winston Salem, North Carolina
Ranked as the No. 179 overall player, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Patterson has 43 tackles for loss during his high school career. He did not have a senior season this fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Patterson recorded 129 tackles, 27 tackles for loss and nine sacks as a junior in 2019. He was invited to play in the Under Armour All-America Game.
Nathaniel Wiggins, CB
Four stars | 6-foot-2, 170 pounds | Atlanta, Georgia
Wiggins is ranked as the No. 7 cornerback and No. 120 overall player, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He also played offense some at Westlake High as a senior, averaging 29.4 yards per catch this past year. Wiggins returned two interceptions for touchdowns during his high school career, including one for 100 yards. He originally committed to LSU. He plans to enroll at Clemson in January.
Troy Stellato, WR
Four stars | 6-foot-0, 175 pounds | Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Stellato is ranked as the No. 30 receiver and No. 174 overall player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He finished his high school career with 112 catches for 1,758 yards and 19 scores in 33 games. Stellato had 26 receptions for 325 yards and five touchdowns in six games in 2020 during a season that was shortened due to the pandemic.
Dacari Collins, WR
Four stars | 6-foot-3.5, 200 pounds | Atlanta, Georgia
Collins is ranked as the No. 31 receiver and No. 177 overall player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He was invited to play in the Under Armour All-America Game. Collins has 109 receptions for 1,990 yards and 20 touchdowns in 37 games during his high school career, averaging 18.3 yards per catch. He had 48 catches for 842 yards and eight touchdowns during the first 11 games of the 2020 season. He plans to enroll at Clemson in January.
Cade Denhoff, DE
Four stars | 6-foot-4.5, 235 pounds | Plant City, Florida
Denhoff is ranked as the No. 9 strong-side defensive end and No. 101 overall player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. During 48 games in his high school career, Denhoff recorded 282 tackles, 26.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. He had 40 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss over seven games in 2020 during a season that was shortened due to the pandemic. He was invited to play in the Under Armour All-America Game and plans to enroll at Clemson in January.
Phil Mafah, RB
Four stars | 6-foot-1, 215 pounds | Loganville, Georgia
Mafah is ranked as the No. 9 running back and No. 193 overall player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He has 288 carries for 2,526 and 37 total touchdowns during his three-year high school career. So far this season, Mafah has 130 carries for 1,130 yards, averaging 8.7 yards per attempt. He attends Grayson High, which produced several former Clemson players, including current New York Giants running back Wayne Gallman. Mafah was Clemson’s first commit for the class of 2021. He plans to enroll in January.
Payton Page, DT
Four stars | 6-foot-4, 360 pounds | Greensboro, North Carolina
Page is ranked as the No. 7 defensive tackle and No. 93 overall player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He did not have a 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Page was a three-year starter who had 191 career tackles, including 55 tackles for loss. He had a tackle for loss in 27 straight games over his sophomore and junior seasons. Page was invited to play in the Under Armour All-America Game. He plans to enroll in January.
Bubba Chandler, QB
Three stars | 6-foot-4, 195 pounds | Bogart, Georgia
A two-sport star, Chandler is ranked as the No. 18 pro-style quarterback and No. 382 overall player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He plans to play football and baseball at Clemson. He originally committed to Georgia to play baseball. Chandler completed 227 of 434 passes for 3,605 yards and 40 touchdowns during his high school career. He also rushed 139 times for 983 yards and nine scores. As a senior, Chandler completed 116 of 229 passes for 1,842 yards and 18 touchdowns, while also rushing 79 times for 548 yards and six scores.
Will Shipley, RB
Five stars | 5-foot-11, 198 pounds | Weddington, North Carolina
The top all-purpose running back in the nation, Shipley is the No. 30 overall player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He is Clemson’s highest-ranked signee so far for the class of 2021. He did not have a 2020 season. Shipley was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in North Carolina and the Charlotte Observer Player of the Year for 2019. He led his team to the 2019 state title and was named the game’s MVP after rushing for 256 yards and scoring four touchdowns. Shipley rushed 503 times for 4,173 yards in his three-year high school career. He added 84 catches for 1,411 receiving yards and scored 80 touchdowns in his career. He plans to enroll at Clemson in January.
Barrett Carter, S
Five stars | 6-foot-1, 220 pounds | Suwanee, Georgia
The second-highest ranked signee in Clemson’s class, Carter is ranked as the No. 3 outside linebacker and No. 33 overall player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Although he’s listed as a linebacker, Carter will play safety at Clemson. He also played running back at North Gwinnett High and averaged 9.3 yards per carry while finishing with 429 yards in 2020. He also scored 10 touchdowns. Defensively, Carter had 38 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and five sacks in seven games this past season. He was selected to play in the All-American Bowl.
Marcus Tate, OL
Four stars | 6-foot-4.5, 318 pounds | Sunrise, Florida
Tate is ranked as the No. 7 guard and No. 127 overall player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is the youngest member of Clemson’s 2021 signing class. Tate was recruited by Brent Venables and Robbie Caldwell. He plans to enroll at Clemson in January.
Will Taylor, QB
Three stars | 5-foot-10, 157 pounds | Irmo, South Carolina
Taylor is a two-sport star who is ranked as the No. 89 athlete in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He plans to play football and baseball at Clemson. Taylor led Dutch Fork to the 2020 5A state title. Dutch Fork is ranked No. 18 in the nation, according to USA Today. Taylor completed 136 of 203 passes for 2,237 yards and 21 touchdowns in 10 games in 2020. He added 60 carries for 448 yards and 11 touchdowns. He hit .432 in baseball as a sophomore and had his junior season wiped out due to COVID-19. Taylor is also a three-time state champion in wrestling.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB
Four stars | 6-foot, 210 pounds | Mt. Laurel, New Jersey
Trotter is ranked as the No. 2 inside linebacker and No. 41 overall player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He was invited to play in both the Under Armour All-America Game and the All-American Bowl. His father — Jeremiah Trotter, Sr. — was a four-time Pro Bowler who played 12 NFL seasons for the Eagles, Redskins and Buccaneers. Trotter plans to enroll at Clemson in January.
Andrew Mukuba, S
Four stars | 6-foot, 185 pounds | Austin, Texas
Mukuba is ranked as the No. 8 safety and No. 165 overall player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He also played offense in high school and had 27 receptions for 427 yards and six touchdowns. Mukuba added 20 carries for 173 yards and two scores. Defensively, he recorded 60 tackles, six interceptions and four forced fumbles. He plans to enroll at Clemson in January.
Dietrick Pennington, OL
Four stars | 6-foot-5, 326 pounds | Memphis, Tennessee
Pennington is ranked as the No. 12 guard and No. 211 overall player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He was named Mr. Football for D2-AA in Tennessee in 2020 after being the runner-up for the honor in 2019. Pennington graded at 93 percent or better for every game his junior and senior seasons. He also played basketball and threw shotput and discus in high school.
Jake Briningstool, TE
Four stars | 6-foot-5, 215 pounds | Brentwood, Tennessee
Briningstool is ranked as the top tight end and No. 59 overall player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He was selected for the Under Armour All-American Game. Briningstool had 39 receptions for 774 yards and 12 touchdowns this past season. He also played defense and finished with 38 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Birningstool finished his career with 111 receptions for 1,955 yards and 22 receiving touchdowns. He plans to enroll in January.
Beaux Collins, WR
Four stars | 6-foot-2.5, 195 pounds | Bellflower, California
Collins is ranked as the No. 14 receiver and No. 83 overall player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He attends the same high school as Tigers backup QB D.J. Uiagalelei, and the two played two seasons together. Collins did not have a high school season as a senior due to COVID-19. As a junior, he had 41 catches for 1,008 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 24.6 yards per catch. He was selected to play in the Under Armour All-America Game and plans to enroll in January.
Note: All star ratings are based off the 247Sports Composite, which factors in all major networks’ rankings.
This story was originally published December 16, 2020 at 8:22 AM.
