Commitment breakdown: Five-star Tristan Leigh surprises with Clemson pick
Five-star Tristan Leigh’s recruitment has been one of the most intense in the 2021 cycle. The offensive tackle out of Fairfax (Va.) Robinson narrowed his long list of choices down to Alabama, Clemson, Florida, LSU, Ohio State, and Oklahoma. Leigh and his family took multiple self-guided visits during the dead period to Oklahoma, LSU, and Florida but it was Clemson that came out on top.
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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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WHAT THE TIGERS ARE GETTING
Leigh is an exceptional talent with the skillset to play a variety of positions along the offensive line. He’s a natural left tackle with great feet and an aggressive attitude that any offensive line coach will love. Leigh plays with great balance and can drive his man off the ball. He also makes impressive blocks down the field to spring runners for big gains. As a pass protector, Leigh shows the patience and sense of timing to be effective against any defender. His length and strong punch combined with his ability to reset his hands, slide to stay in front of the defender, and anchor down make him one of the most advanced prospects in this recruiting cycle.
WHY IT'S BIG FOR CLEMSON
Leigh picking the Tigers isn’t completely out of left field but it is definitely a shocker. LSU and Oklahoma had been the favorites for a very long time and both schools have gotten him on campus multiple times since his last visit to Clemson back in January. Ohio State looked to have momentum at one point. Leigh visited Florida a couple of times this past year too. The only publicized visit to Clemson Leigh took was back in January of 2020 so this is a pretty big upset the Tigers pulled off. His commitment really helps Clemson but it really hurts these other college football powerhouses too. Leigh does have family in the south and distance from home and other family members became a bigger factor in his recruitment as his commitment date got closer.
The Tigers are stringing some impressive offensive line recruiting classes together, something they haven’t done much in the past. Leigh is their fourth commitment on the offensive line and third in the Rivals250 but is just their second five-star in this class. He is also just second five-star offensive lineman Clemson has ever gotten, with Jackson Carman being the other. Leigh looks like he could end up anchoring the left tackle spot for a couple seasons but his positional versatility will allow the Clemson coaching staff to mix and match their new, highly rated linemen prospects to better protect their future quarterbacks.