ESPN Recruiting Nation Football

At one point, Clemson’s class featured two of the nation’s top defensive end prospects in No. 1 overall player Robert Nkemdiche (Loganville, Ga./Grayson) and Elijah Daniel (Avon, Ind./Avon). Along the way both those players decommitted, delivering a blow to what was developing into a big haul along the defensive line. While the loss of those two was tough, the Tigers have rebounded a bit at that position as they have gained a commitment from ESPN 150 D-end Ebenezer Ogundeko (Brooklyn, N.Y./Jefferson).

The New York native is not as ready to come in and contribute as the two previously mentioned defensive prospects, but he is a player with good upside and is enrolling early, which should aid his development and allow him to possibly better contribute as a freshman. He needs to keep adding mass, but should benefit from quickly getting into the Tigers weight program. While he needs to become more consistent, he can be disruptive as a pass rusher while still possessing nice upside in this area. He can be quick off the ball, get upfield, quickly work past a blocker and tightly bend back in to get to the quarterback. As he works on his pass rush arsenal and further develops his hand usage, he can develop into a consistent threat off the edge. He is also a defender with a good motor and speed and can be active and productive against the run while still needing to continue to fill out and develop his technique.

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Losing No. 1 prospect Robert Nkemdiche (Loganville, Ga./Grayson) last fall was a huge blow to Clemson’s recruiting efforts, and the decommitment of ESPN 150 defensive end prospect Elijah Daniel (Avon, Ind./Avon) a few weeks later furthered a huge void in the Tiger’s 2013 class, adding even more urgency for Clemson to reel in an elite pass-rusher.

On Friday the Tigers took a big step in that direction by adding Under Armour All-American Ebenezer Ogundeko (Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson), the No. 10 defensive end prospect in the country. In the 6-foot-3, 230-pound prospect, Clemson is getting a prospect with a very muscular frame, who could project to defensive end or possibly outside linebacker in college.

Tigers coach Dabo Swinney is also getting a productive high school player in Ogundeko, as the top-rated prospect in New York racked up 154 tackles and 28 sacks over his junior and senior seasons.

By adding the No. 112 prospect in the country, Clemson can now shift its focus to trying to replace Nkemdiche with No. 2 prospect Carl Lawson (Alpharetta, Ga./Milton), who last visited Clemson in November. Lawson remains committed to Auburn, but programs like Clemson and Ole Miss should get official visits from the five-star defensive end this month.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- With just a player walk-through Thursday, things were relatively easy in Day 4 of practice at Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports. A four-star defensive tackle gave further explanation about his decision to decommit from an SEC school, several players talked about who impressed them the most, and an ESPN 150 safety changed his decision date.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Four-star defensive end Ebenezer Ogundeko (Brooklyn, N.Y./Jefferson) will make his college decision Friday at the Under Armour All-America Game. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound athlete will make his choice between Syracuse and Clemson.

With Syracuse, Ogundeko said he likes the thought of playing in his home-state.

"Syracuse is a great school," he said. "I like what they have to offer me. I like their players a lot and I like their coaches. I went to their game yesterday. It's a great place. I'm from New York and I like that New York environment."

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Ebenezer Ogundeko (Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson) is down to two schools.

The ESPN 150 defensive end with more than 20 offers has two schools at the top: Clemson and Florida. They are now the only two schools he is looking at.

"Down to those 2," Ogundeko wrote in a text message.

Ogundeko's last two official visits went to the Tigers and Gators, and the official visit to Clemson helped the Tigers catch the Gators at the top of Ogundeko's list.

Clemson assistant coach Marion Hobby made an in-home visit with Ogundeko, the No. 1 player in New York, this week.

"Just things about the campus. The coaching staff and distance. And of course playing time," Ogundeko said of the conversation with Hobby.

Syracuse assistant coach John Anselmo was also in to visit with Ogundeko this week, and as his first BCS offer, he will still officially visit Syracuse the weekend of Dec. 7.

The Gators are supposed to visit with Ogundeko on Friday.

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Five-star defensive end Carl Lawson (Marietta, Ga./Milton) was not prepared to discuss the news Sunday that Auburn had fired head coach Gene Chizik.

“No comment on Auburn right now," Lawson said. "The news shocked me.”

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Despite not having many visitors for its 23-0 victory over Jacksonville State on Saturday, the Florida Gators will still consider this a successful recruiting weekend.

The Gators filled what potentially could be a big hole on the defensive line with the verbal commitment of Darious Cummings (Titusville, Fla./East Mississippi Community Colege) on Sunday. The 6-foot-3, 292-pound lineman, who originally signed with Florida State out of high school, switched his pledge from Ole Miss to Florida after taking an official visit to Florida this weekend.

Cummings said he has matured since his time at FSU.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- ESPN 150 defensive end Ebenezer Ogundeko (Brooklyn, N.Y./Jefferson) has named the Gators his leader after an official visit to Gainesville for the Jacksonville State game.

Ogundeko, an Under Armour All-American, said he enjoyed his trip to Florida because of what he saw out of freshmen defensive ends Dante Fowler Jr. and Jonathan Bullard.

"It went great," Ogundeko said. "Just the people in general were great -- like the players that are going to be at my position like Dante Fowler and Jon Bullard. The coaches were great too. It was a good visit."

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In the East region, the biggest movers came in Virginia.

First, Jonathan Allen (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge) jumped from 71st in the nation to 40th. Just behind him at No. 41 is Derrick Green (Richmond, Va./Hermitage). The tailback went from 53rd to 41st. Outside linebacker Doug Randolph (Woodberry Forest, Va./Woodberry Forest) jumped 15 spots from No. 159 to No. 144. The move was significant because it earns him the coveted ESPN 150 designation.

A bit farther north, Virginia Tech-bound cornerback Kendall Fuller (Olney, Md./Good Counsel) jumped six spots to No. 14, inching him closer to five-star status.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- ESPN 150 defensive end Ebenezer Ogundeko (Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson) camped at Florida on Saturday. The visit for the 6-foot-3, 229-pound Under Armour All-American vaulted the Gators near the top of his list.

"It was great," Ogundeko. "I got to spend time with the players and coaches. I bonded with the players pretty good. It was a great environment to be in. The weather was great. I liked everything about it. I'd say Florida, Notre Dame and Syracuse are my top three right now."

While on his visit, the No. 9-ranked defensive end in the country said he had a chance to spend time with Florida head coach Will Muschamp and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.

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Two days after reopening his commitment, Ebenezer Ogundeko (Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson) added another team to his list of offers.

On Monday, Vanderbilt offered the 6-foot-3, 227-pound defensive end/linebacker.

Ogundeko has an interest in playing in the South and particularly in the SEC, so he was excited to pick up an offer from the Commodores.

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Interior blocker Matt Barone (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour) has committed to play for UConn, according to multiple sources. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound prospect also received an early scholarship offer from Akron.

Other programs including Georgia Tech, Maryland, Michigan State, Missouri, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Illinois, Purdue and Kent State showed interest.

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