Advertisement
football Edit

Take Two: Who leads for Palmetto State's next great DE?

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position

Jordan Burch
Jordan Burch (Rivals.com)
Advertisement

Take Two returns with another 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.

MORE TAKE TWO: Has Graham Mertz done enough to earn a fifth star? | Who deserves to be the No. 1 WR in the 2020 class?

THE STORYLINE 

Jordan Burch should be the next big-time defensive lineman coming out of South Carolina, and the class of 2020 player has the potential to be one of the best prospects from that state in recent years, following in the line of Xavier Thomas and Jadeveon Clowney.

The Columbia (S.C.) Hammond School four-star prospect was impressive at the recent Under Armour Future 50 event, as he dominated national competition and established himself as a name to remember in the 2020 class.

But Burch does not talk much and so where his recruitment is headed remains a mystery.

The feeling is that Clemson and South Carolina are the frontrunners along with Georgia, but there’s no question every top program in the country is going to get involved with the 6-foot-6, 255-pound standout.

It looks like an early in-state battle, though, and then the question becomes does Clemson have the power to go right into Columbia for the best player in the state? Or can the Gamecocks hold off the Tigers for a prospect right in their own backyard?

  FIRST TAKE: CHAD SIMMONS, SOUTHEAST RECRUITING ANALYST  

“He didn’t tip his hand at all, but he did speak highly of Clemson, Georgia and South Carolina. Based on the chatter, Clemson appears to be in a good spot early, but the visits in the coming months could tell the tale. He is likely to be committed before his senior year, so the spring will be an important time for Burch. Clemson is coming off its second national championship in three years, so it’s hard to bet against Dabo Swinney and his staff at this time.”

SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, NATIONAL RECRUITING DIRECTOR  

“He’s keeping his options open. He’s very, very good and super athletic. Not as filled out and thick as Xavier Thomas, not as long as Jadeveon Clowney, but he’s a very talented kid. No doubt he’s the next great defensive end out of South Carolina. That is unquestioned. His motor is really strong, too. He loves to play football and he never stops coming at you. He’s extremely quick off his first step and he’s just going to be difficult to handle.

"While it’s so early and hard to predict where a 2020 player will go, you have to feel good about Clemson’s chances early with Burch. I think that will only increase as they put all these defensive linemen high in the draft in April.”


Advertisement