Carolina-Clemson: Spring Game Showdown

by Chris Paschal

No, the Tigers and Gamecocks are not squaring off in a Spring Game exhibition, but they might as well be. Both Carolina and Clemson will put on their highly anticipated Spring Games in their respective stadiums this Saturday, but don’t be surprised if both fanbases have an eye on what is happening at the rival school.

Why? Some of y’all may be surprised that it has as much to do with who is standing on the sidelines as it does with who is playing on the field. That’s because both programs will host an abundance of top-ranked, highly touted recruits this weekend.

Let’s start in the Upstate.

Clemson

Clemson will host DJ Uiagalelei, a five-star quarterback out of California. Uiagalelei has long been considered a Clemson lean. Whether it be Clemson beat writers reporting on Uiagalelei’s interest in the Tigers or the fact that Uiagalelei stayed at the same hotel as Clemson during this past season’s National Title game, it looks like he is a lock for Dabo. Now news is out that Uiagalelei (and his entire family) is going to spend four straight days on Clemson’s campus and take in their Spring Game this weekend. When you look at this kid, you understand why there is a bunch of press surrounding him. He is big (6-4, 240), he’s got a live arm, and he is tough to bring down in the pocket. I would be shocked if he didn’t commit to Clemson this weekend.

Also present will be Bryan Breese out of Maryland. When you think about a force on the defensive line, this is who you think of. He’s a mammoth of a human being (6-5, 290), and he has maybe the best first step I have seen on tape. I’m not kidding. Watch his film. It is somewhat terrifying. He has the strength to play at the three-technique, while having the length and flexibility to play outside, as well.

South Carolina

Less than 150 miles southeast of Clemson, South Carolina will also have their spring game this weekend in Columbia. While there is a lot of excitement around this game about who has just arrived enrolled at Carolina, it also has some added excitement about who will be visiting this weekend.

News broken by Rival’s Adam Friedman is that five-star running back, Marshawn Lloyd, is returning to campus for this weekend’s game. Lloyd, a highly touted back out of Maryland, will be on campus from Friday through Sunday. This is huge news for the Gamecocks for several reasons. First, Lloyd is the kind of player anyone would love to pick up. This is an SEC-ready back. He has great vision, hits the hole hard, and is impossible to bring down. The other reason why this is big for the Gamecocks is that it shows newly-hired running backs coach, Thomas Brown, is hitting the ground running with recruiting. South Carolina has lacked a big-time back ever since Mike Davis left for the NFL in 2014. Lloyd is that kind of player.

While both programs will host a plethora of other prospects that are noteworthy in their own right (Carolina commits, Luke Doty and Javion Cohen, Carolina target, Mike Wyman, and Clemson targets, Fred Davis and EJ Williams come to mind), the prospect everyone is keeping their eyes on is Columbia-native, Jordan Burch.

Burch, a five-star defensive end, has kept his recruitment very private, rarely speaking to Clemson or Carolina insiders about what he is thinking.

The past two weekends, Burch has watched Carolina’s practices, and rumors are swirling that he will be up to Clemson this weekend. It is hard to predict where this young man will go, much like it was hard to predict where Xavier Thomas or Zacch Pickens were going to go in years past.

This is a big recruiting weekend for both Clemson and Carolina. Don’t be surprised if some prospects commit to either program by Sunday. It should be fun to watch. Keep an eye on Carolina and Clemson recruiting insiders as we get closer to the weekend. More names should come to the surface for both programs.