Commitment Breakdown: Rivals100 DB RJ Mickens commits to Clemson

RJ Mickens’ return to Death Valley led to the biggest news of the day for the Clemson football program. The Rivals100 safety out of Southlake Carroll (Texas) High School selected the Tigers over Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Alabama, Florida and LSU, among others.

Mickens the son of former Texas A&M cornerback Ray Mickens, who also had a length professional career in the NFL. The Aggies legacy had been leaning out-of-state for some time, with multiple trips to Clemson leading into Saturday’s verbal pledge.

The four-star safety is coming off surgery to repair a broken shoulder. He’s nearly three months removed from the procedure and just beginning to run. He’ll enter spring football practice later this month but is unable to make contact just yet.

Landing one of the nation’s most prized defensive backs is nothing new for Dabo Swinney and co. In fact, it’s becoming a trend for the Tigers.

Clemson signed a pair of Rivals250 defensive backs in 2017, including five-star AJ Terrell. That continued again in 2018 when it inked two Rivals100 cornerbacks in Kyler McMichael and Mario Goodrich. Clemson furthered that narrative again in last year’s recruiting cycle, bringing a trio of Rivals250 defensive backs, including five-star Andrew Booth and four-star Joseph Charleston, the No. 15-ranked safety in the class.

The difference here: Mickens hails from North Texas. The Tigers have not signed a prospect out of the Lone Star State since three-star tight end J.C. Chalk did so in 2016. It’s a major win on the recruiting trail for Clemson as it continues to not only bring in elite talent, but do so with a nationwide spectrum. The defending championships are recruiting on that same hemisphere as Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State, and doing so beyond their backyard and into different territories across the country.

Mickens currently ranks as the No. 1 safety on Rivals. He’s the No. 42 overall prospect in the Class of 2020. The 6-foot, 187-pounder serves as a centerfielder for Southlake Carroll. He’s a long defender with a tremendous wingspan. He possesses great athleticism to give opposing receivers fits when the ball is in the air. He is equally as impressive in playing over the top in pass coverage, flaunting great anticipation to make plays for his defense on a consistent basis.

The four-star will have a chance to add a fifth star when healthy. As good a pass defender as he is, Mickens is also not shy about being physical with wide receivers in coverage and lowering his shoulder in the run game. He’s a hard-nosed defender that often meets running backs at the line of scrimmage. He has outstanding sideline-to-sideline speed to make plays all over the field and be an effective player in the box.

Mickens will also give Clemson an added threat on special teams. He had multiple kickoff and punt returns for Southlake Carroll in 2018. He’s agile and changes direction with ease in the open field. Expect him to be an instant-impact contributor for the Tigers when he arrives on campus next year.

Ohio State easily finished second behind Clemson the Mickens sweepstakes. The Buckeyes have successfully locked down some of the top talent from Texas in the past few recruiting cycles, particularly at the skill positions and largely in the secondary. Mickens had been connected to Ohio State quite a bit before choosing Clemson on Saturday. Ohio State is still hard after Rivals250 corner Dwight McGlothern as the staff hopes to continue its success in the state.

Michigan, too, has had some wins on the recruiting trail in the Lone Star State in years past. Mickens was a top candidate to eventually leave the state for college and a trip back to Ann Arbor was in the cards. Mickens spoke highly of Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines’ storied highly, but an early pledge to Clemson in the spring will force Michigan to shift its focus elsewhere. It should be no surprise that Michigan is also in the mix for McGlothern along with Ohio State.

LSU quietly got Mickens on campus a handful of times over the past two-plus years. The four-star safety camped in Baton Rouge as a freshman and earned his offer then. He returned for the home opener in Tiger Stadium a year ago and was one of a handful of options at safety for LSU in 2020. LSU certainly held an edge in terms of proximity to home without being in the state and the staff stopped by Southlake Carroll during January to try and sway him and his teammates back to campus for a junior day. The Tigers hold a commitment from five-star defensive back Elias Ricks and are trending for other ranked prospects such as Lorando Johnson and Major Burns, among others.