Clemson pulls ahead for LB

Marcus Howard was one of many big-time recruits to visit Clemson this weekend and, like most, the Tigers came out better than they were before. Was it enough to move them up his list?

"Clemson is definitely my favorite school now," said the 6-foot-2, 215-pound outside linebacker from Hanahan, S.C. "This visit was enough to move them past Georgia and NC State."

So what was it about the visit that pushed the Tigers ahead of the rest of the field?

"I haven't been anywhere in a long time, so maybe that has something to do with it, but this really felt like home when I was at Clemson. The coaches treated me very nicely and they seemed to care about me a lot.

"The biggest difference between Clemson and Georgia right now is that I know there is room on the depth chart at Clemson to come in and compete for playing time right away. They showed me the depth chart and they think I could prove myself early on at the rover spot and play. I'm not sure if I could do that at Georgia, but I'll know more about that later."

Howard visited NC State earlier and said they're still in his top three. He'll take a trip to Georgia next weekend (Jan. 17), and that will be huge in his decision.

"I plan on making my decision around Jan. 28, that's what I'm thinking right now. There's a lot of time between now and then but Clemson is the top place right now."