Jadeveon Clowney Is Worth the Hype and Will Be a Force for Spurrier or Swinney

It takes a truly special type of prospect to ignite the media firestorm that Jadeveon Clowney’s recruitment has generated, but make no mistake about it Jadeveon is a special prospect.

The 6’6" 247 lb defensive end from Rock Hill, South Carolina is the consensus top rated recruit amongst all the major scouting services and frankly there is an ample amount of separation between himself and the other top blue chip prospects in his class.

South Carolina and Clemson appear to be the final two schools standing in the heated war for Jadeveon’s services. Clowney will announce whether he will be a Tiger or a Gamecock in a few short hours on the 11 am Sportscenter telecast in front of a nationally televised audience.

Some have argued that recruiting has become an overhyped and over publicized ordeal. Skeptics have pointed to past “five star prospects” that have never materialized or flamed out as evidence of their belief that prep projections and rankings are clearly an imperfect science.

While I tend to agree that scouting services and recruiting in general has taken on a life of its own, even I can’t ignore the elite skill set and gaudy statistics that Clowney brings to the table.

According to the Spartanburg Herald Journal Jadeveon recorded 128 tackles, 19.5 sacks and forced 10 fumbles during his senior season at South Pointe High School.

After doing some quick research, I learned that South Pointe played 15 games during their 2010 football campaign. This means that Clowney averaged 8.5 tackles, 1.3 sacks and 0.66 forced fumbles per game. To say that Mr. Clowney had a productive senior season would be a gross understatement; this kid was an absolute nightmare for opposing offenses.

ESPN ranking services grades high school football prospects on a scale of 0 to 100. ESPN labels a recruit a “five star player” if they receive a final grade that ranges from 85 to 100.

ESPN scouting describes a five-star prospect as being “A potential immediate game-changer at the major college level who could push for all-conference recognition as a true freshman. Will enter college with elite skills needed to create mismatches against top-level competition. A future All-American candidate.”

With that being said, let me inform you that the scouting gurus at ESPN gave Jadeveon a grade of 95.

The last prospects to grade out that high were defensive end Da’Quan Bowers and wide receiver Julio Jones from the 2008 class. Both Jones and Bowers are projected to be drafted in the first round of the upcoming 2011 NFL Draft.

The future is unproven and Jadeveon is not entitled to a great collegiate career or future NFL stardom based on his high school accolades. You would be wise to not bet against this kid, though.

All indications are that the hype surrounding Clowney is warranted and that either Steve Spurrier or Dabo Swinney will have an anchor that they can use on their defensive line for the next three years.

I’m not going to speculate on whether Jadeveon will choose either South Carolina or Clemson, but I will say that whichever school does land the prized defensive end will have reason to get excited.