ESPN Recruiting Nation Football

Ole Miss is poised to boast the strongest closing come signing day, but the Rebels have some cause for concern with one ESPN 150 prospect.

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ACC
Clemson
Kyrin Priester WR Snellville, Ga./Brookwood
HT: 6-1 WT: 181
Position Rank: #20 WR

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Ole Miss is one of the programs in a position to potentially close strong as signing day approaches and just days after landing the No. 1-rated receiver in the country they have now added a commitment from ESPN 150 defensive end Elijah Daniel (Avon, Ind./Avon).

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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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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- ESPN 150 defensive end Elijah Daniel (Avon, Ind./Avon) recently visited Ole Miss. The 6-foot-3, 249-pound athlete said he was impressed with the Rebels had to offer.

"It was probably the best visit I've ever taken during the recruiting process," Daniel said.

Daniel, who has also taken official visits to Marshall and Mississippi State, will officially visit Florida on Jan. 11. The four-star end said he is just looking to interact with the Florida coaches on his visit.

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There was not any shortage of news in the Midwest this weekend from ESPN 300 commitments. There were big-time visitor lists, coaching changes and even a few ESPN 150 prospects heading south for official visits.

Darius Latham (Indianapolis/North Central), an ESPN 300 defensive tackle, ended the speculation Sunday night and committed to in-state Indiana. Latham decommitted from Wisconsin last month in favor of the Hoosiers. In Bloomington, Latham will be able to play defensive line instead of offense, which is where most programs feel he will flourish best.

It is a big commitment for Indiana as Kevin Wilson has turned a class that was shaping up to the Big Ten's worst into a class that has the potential to turn the Hoosiers around.

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ESPN 150 defensive end Elijah Daniel (Avon, Ind./Avon) spent the last two weekends in Mississippi visiting each of the state's BCS programs. This weekend it was Hugh Freeze and Ole Miss's turn to host Daniel, a former Clemson commitment.

"It was good," said Daniel, who returned home from his visit Sunday. "It was pretty cool, really cool, like the walk of champions to being inside the stadium."

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After months of speculation, Clemson lost an ESPN 150 defensive end. And his name is not Robert Nkemdiche.

Avon (Ind.) lineman Elijah Daniel, No. 82 in the ESPN 150, decommitted from the Tigers on Tuesday days after returning from an official visit to Mississippi State.

"Interested in other schools," Daniel wrote in a text message.

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Defensive end Elijah Daniel (Avon, Ind./Avon) committed to Clemson back in June. Recently, however, his communication with the Tigers staff can be considered spotty at best.

“I haven’t really talked to them that much,” the ESPN 150 prospect and No. 6 ranked defensive end said.

He talked to the coaches sometime last week but the conversations have been infrequent.

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Clemson is on what one may call ‘a bit of a roll’, especially along the defensive line. In the wake of the huge commitment of Robert Nkemdiche, the nation’s top ranked prospect, Clemson has landed two more promising D-end prospects in ESPN 150 defender Elijah Daniel and now most recently four-star D-lineman Dane Rogers. Nkemdiche and Daniel, both top 100 players, were big commitments. But the addition of Rogers shouldn’t be overlooked as we feel he is a fine prospect in his own right and may be a bit undervalued on the national scene.

Rogers has solid height and good bulk with a nice wingspan for his size. He is listed as a defensive end, but depending on physical development could end up playing inside or at least can offer some ‘swing player’ potential. Like his future linemates, Rogers possesses a good initial burst off the ball. He may not bring to the table the same type of natural athleticism, but the four-star out of North Carolina does display good recognition skills and plays with a good motor. Those things combined allow him to play a little faster as a defender than he might test. He needs to continue to develop and be more consistent with technique, but flashes the tools to be a productive defender against the run. He might not offer the same type of pass rush ability/upside as Nkemdiche or Daniel, but Rogers can pressure the quarterback and could be a player who develops into a good ‘nickel rusher’ in that group.

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Four-star Dane Rogers (Shelby, N.C./Crest) has become the latest highly-touted defensive lineman to select the Tigers, multiple sources report.

North Carolina, North Carolina State, Rutgers and Tennessee also extended scholarship offers to the 6-foot-2, 23o-pounder. Alabama, Auburn and Duke recruited the nation's No. 31-ranked defensive end.

Prior to his junior year, Rogers posted a 5.15 40-yard dash, 4.55 20-yard shuttle and 18-inch vertical on the combine circuit.

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With the news of the top player in the land Robert Nkemdiche (Loganville, Ga./Grayson) committing still fresh, Clemson now has even more reason to smile as off the heels of the verbal of the No. 1 rated defensive end the Tigers have added a verbal from ESPN 150 D-End Elijah Daniel (Avon, Ind.). This is a big pick-up for Clemson for a couple reasons.

First off, the Tigers are getting a good prospect in Daniel the No. 6 rated defensive end in the nation. The defender out of the Hoosier State does not possess the same type of freakish size that Nkemdiche does, but Daniel does have good size at this stage with a frame that should be able to support more good mass with time in the Tigers weight program. He can be a disruptive player as he possesses good initial quickness. He displays good promise as an edge rusher with just enough speed to get tackles thinking which can lead to mistakes and Daniel flashes the ability to be able to take advantage of those errors whether it’s around the edge or countering back inside. He doesn’t display the ability to win solely with speed and needs to continue to develop the use of his weapons, but with polish and a plan he has the tools to cause consistent problems as a pass rusher.

Daniel can not only get after the quarterback, but also displays the tools with further development to be able to stay on the field and be a productive run defender. He moves well for his size and displays the ability to see and react well to blocking schemes. He uses his hands well and is able to quickly separate and shed. He is a defender with a nice motor and uses good angles in pursuit. He may not offer the same type of immediate impact ability that Nkemdiche does, but the tools are there for Daniel to develop into a very good college player.

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Heading into this weekend’s visit, Clemson was on level footing with about 10 other teams on Elijah Daniel’s leaderboard. By the end of his visit, though, the Tigers landed a second ESPN 150 defensive end in less than a week.

“I was interested in them obviously. They were on the same level as all the other teams,” Daniel said en route back to Avon, Ind. “I had visited those other schools I was looking at other than Clemson.

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