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Take Two: Does Clemson lead for five-star Jordan Burch?

Jordan Burcn
Jordan Burcn (Rivals.com)

Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling an issue 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 of team sites or a regional analyst.

MORE TAKE TWO: How big are recent visits for Zachary Evans?

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals100 | Position | Team | State

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THE STORYLINE

Jordan Burch and the people closest to his recruitment hardly ever talk about favorite programs or lists or all the trappings of today’s environment when it comes to elite prospects.

That makes it harder to really gauge where his thought process is and it tends to lead to more drama as speculation and conjecture fill the void of clear statements by Burch or those closest to him.

A few things are known for sure: The five-star defensive end from Columbia (S.C.) Hammond School is one of the best players in the 2020 class, his visit to Clemson for its "Cookout" went really well but South Carolina, Georgia and others are still very seriously involved in his recruitment.

Burch had not been to Clemson for a few months prior to the visit this past weekend, but by all indications his trip to campus with his mother went really well.

There are rumors Burch’s mom prefers South Carolina but those are unconfirmed up to this point. And after visiting Clemson over the last few days, the five-star defensive end also made a stop at Georgia.

Burch’s recruitment seems far from over but Clemson is doing all it can to stay atop his favorites. The Tigers have also developed an incredible amount of defensive linemen recently and that should not go unnoticed.

Is Clemson now the front-runner for Burch or will South Carolina, Georgia and others be there until the end?

FIRST TAKE: PAUL STRELOW, TIGERILLUSTRATED.COM

“My stance on Burch isn’t really much different than it has been for months. We cautioned against overreacting to him not visiting Clemson for a long time, and we would pump the brakes on reading too much into what we believe was a favorable experience for Clemson last week. But that’s what happens in these extreme cases where the prospect’s camp keeps everyone in the dark; every action is magnified and overanalyzed.

“Clemson, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama each thinks it is in contention, and there's enough evidence supporting why at least any of the first three could be the choice in the end. We’ve long characterized this recruitment as a probable marathon, whereby this story likely wouldn’t be written until this next season unfolded. Well, we’re somewhere in the third quarter of this chase, and there’s a lot of game left to be played before the outcome is decided.”

SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM

“I still think it’s too hard to read and I think South Carolina and some others could still get him. It was an important visit certainly for Clemson with Burch and obviously solidified its chances with him but South Carolina is going to be there until the end.

“I still pick Clemson to get him but this is going to be a little too close to call especially this early.”

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH CLEMSON FANS AT TIGERILLUSTRATED.COM

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