Take Two: Can anyone beat Clemson for five-star K.J. Henry?

Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network.

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In late July, five-star defensive end K.J. Henry released a top five of Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Clemson and Virginia Tech.

Since that time, the Clemmons (N.C.) West Forsyth standout has been busy taking visits, checking out his top schools and working toward a decision, which is planned for Dec. 20, the first day of the early signing period.

And after all the visits and all the discussions with coaches, one thing seems to be clear when it comes to Henry’s recruitment: It still looks like it will be tough to beat Clemson.

That certainly makes sense. Dabo Swinney and his staff have done a phenomenal job recruiting especially along the defensive line and continue to have loads of talent at both defensive end and defensive tackle.

The thought of Henry playing on one side of Clemson’s defensive line and fellow five-star Xavier Thomas on the other side must make Tiger fans thrilled - and excited for the future.

Can Alabama sweep in late and steal Henry, who has to be aware of Alabama’s phenomenal run of putting defensive stars in the NFL as well? Is there a surprise in store? Or will Clemson continue to load up in this class with Henry’s commitment next month?

"Clemson has been the leader for Henry since Day 1 of his recruitment. He has family that went to Clemson and he is close with a number of current and future Tigers. The coaching staff has done a great job with Henry and his family always feels welcome there. The transition from Marion Hobby to Todd Bates as defensive line coach has been seamless and that was the best chance for another team to really grab momentum away from the Tigers. If Clemson is able to bring in Henry along with five-star Xavier Thomas, Dabo Swinney and his staff will continue to have what most consider is the most disruptive defensive line in college football." – Friedman

"Clemson has been his leader for a long time. He’s taken other visits, but that would be big. The Tigers have Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant now and they’ve had Shaq Lawson in the past. They're really producing some outstanding defensive ends. Getting Henry's commitment would really keep the momentum rolling.

"You put Henry and Xavier Thomas on the same team and you have two completely different guys. He is the weak-side guy with the length and Thomas is the strongside guy with the power. It would be a great combination."