Ranking the Contenders: Korey Foreman
Five-star defensive end Korey Foreman decommitted from Clemson on Tuesday after being committed to the national powerhouse for less than three months.
The Corona (Calif.) Centennial star had taken one visit to Clemson and loved it so he returned shortly after with his parents, who signed off on a commitment.
He said at the Rivals Camp Series event in Los Angeles in early March that he loved everything about the Tigers, how we would be developed in the program and the ability to not deal with double- and triple-teams in college because Clemson’s defensive line was so loaded. He was looking forward to playing with Bryan Bresee and others, and seemed excited.
But throughout his recruitment, sources said Foreman also wanted to take other visits to see programs across the countr,y but Clemson’s coaching staff has a policy against committed players taking other trips.
It remained a sticking point up until Foreman’s decision to back off his pledge on Tuesday.
Below, we rank the contenders now in Foreman’s recruitment.
MORE: Foreman talks decision with TrojanSports.com | Top-ranked Foreman decommits from Clemson
1. USC
The big winner according to numerous sources is USC. With Foreman back on the market, the Trojans can make an even bigger concerted effort to get him in the 2021 class. He is a former high school teammate of USC defensive end Drake Jackson and the two are close friends. Foreman is also close with Jackson’s father, Dennis, as well.
Former Corona Centennial teammate Gary Bryant just signed with the Trojans in the 2020 class. Foreman has been to USC numerous times, playing with Jackson again could be really intriguing and the possibility of staying closer to home and being a standout defensive end in Los Angeles could also be playing factors. One source said USC is definitely the team to beat now in Foreman’s recruitment.
2. CLEMSON
Let’s not forget that Clemson is still arguably the top destination for elite high school football prospects especially along the defensive line as the Tigers have produced Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence, Austin Bryant and next up will be Xavier Thomas, Bresee and others. That fact has not been lost on Foreman, who has not had a falling out with the Clemson staff and still considers the Tigers a major contender in his recruitment.
The sticking point was just the visit policy that exists at Clemson. There were numerous reasons why Foreman fell in love with the program including its ability to develop and showcase elite defensive ends. Maybe only Alabama and Ohio State are on Clemson’s level in that respect.
Robert Nkemdiche and Dalvin Cook are two high-level players that had been committed to Clemson but ended up picking other schools. Former five-star linebacker Rahshaun Smith was one who was committed to Clemson, backed off his pledge, and then ended up back with the Tigers.
ALL OTHERS
According to a source, Foreman has been in communication with Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State and Miami recently along with “many others” as well. Every top program in the country is going to pursue Foreman because he’s a physical clone to former five-star and second overall pick in the NFL Draft, Ohio State’s Chase Young. At 6-foot-5 and 263 pounds, Foreman sees himself as an edge rusher and he dominates there but he can be versatile along the defensive line and be just as good. The five-star also has the athleticism and skill to drop in coverage and play in space as well.
It wouldn’t be shocking to see Georgia, LSU and others get involved here along with Pac-12 schools including Oregon and others. Visits are going to be important - and it’s the reason Foreman backed off his pledge - so those will play a big factor.