Three Clemson football signees arriving this summer to watch in fall practice
The majority of Clemson football's 2023 recruiting class enrolled early and arrived on campus in time for spring practice. Less than a dozen of the 26 signees will get to Clemson this summer, and their first taste of college football will come at the Tigers' preseason practices in August.
Arriving early gives players more time to adjust to their new team, and it allows coaches more time to see what they can do. Early enrollees such as defensive linemen Peter Woods and Stephiylan Green and wide receiver Noble Johnson made strong impressions on the coaching staff in spring ball.
Not every player can enroll early, however, and they might have a tougher road.
"When you come in the summer, everything is amped up; if you can make it to the spring, you can kind of get spoon-fed a little bit," co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Mickey Conn said in March. "When you get to the summer and to fall practices. ... We've got to get ready to win, so you don't get as many reps."
Here's a look at some of the top-rated recruits who will make their Clemson debuts in preseason practice.
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Avieon Terrell, CB
A four-star out of Atlanta, Terrell is the No. 8-rated recruit in Clemson's class per 247Sports Composite. He's the brother of Clemson great A.J. Terrell, who now plays for the Atlanta Falcons. The younger Terrell was ranked the No. 27 corner in his class, and he brings talent to a group that might lose some key pieces after the 2023 season. Watch for him to be part of the not-so-distant future for the Clemson secondary.
David Ojiegbe, DL
Ojiegbe's commitment in April 2022 was a big win for Clemson in recruiting the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area. The four-star was ranked the No. 2 player in the D.C./Maryland area, and he was the No. 33 edge defender in his class. His composite ranking is the 11th-best in Clemson's class. With the veteran talent Clemson has for 2023, don't expect to see Ojiegbe at defensive end regularly this season. Instead, keep an eye on his progress as the Tigers lose experience down the road.
Ronan Hanafin, WR
Hanafin is the first player out of Massachusetts to come to Clemson since defensive end Christian Wilkins in 2015. He was the No. 5 player in the state. 247Sports classified him as an athlete, and No. 15 in the class. Hanafin played a lot of safety and linebacker in his high school career, but Clemson lists the four-star as a wide receiver. He would be the highest-rated receiver in the Tigers' 2023 class, just edging out Johnson. Clemson needs players like Hanafin and Johnson to pan out once they develop if it wants to get back to its wide receiver glory days.
Christina Long covers the Clemson Tigers for the Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@greenvillenews.com.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson football freshmen arriving in summer to watch in fall practice
