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As of mid-May, Logansport (Indiana) junior R.J. Clem had 10 scholarship offers, but none from Power Four schools.
Michigan State changed that when offensive line coach Nick Tabacca offered on May 18, then Kansas State, UCF and Iowa State followed.
Tabacca already had been in to see Clem work out the previous week. At 6-foot-7, 265 pounds with an 84-inch wingspan and athleticism that allows him to excel on the basketball court, it should come as no surprise he is coveted.
“He got thrown in freshman year, middle of the season,” Logansport head coach Troy Hudson said. “One of the left tackles had gone down and he ended up getting his first start as a freshman.”Hudson admits Clem may not have been fully ready for that stage at the time, but few freshmen are. As a sophomore, he was more up to the task, and then was even better as a junior. He has continued to improve as a thrower in track and field also with a 50-foot shot put and 156-foot effort in the discus.
“He presents a lot,” Hudson said. “For one, his size. You can’t teach that and then his athleticism with how big he is. His basketball background is a big piece of it. A kid that’s that big, athletic, and can move; he’s pretty strong, too, and works really, really hard in the weight room. Since freshman year, his numbers have tremendously grown.”
Michigan State got in and started the rush of Power Fours. At this time, Yale is the only official visit Clem has scheduled. This week has been a hectic one, though, and he now aims to settle down and decide where he will take his other summer visits, of which Michigan State hopes to be one.
“He’s been working on it,” Hudson said. “Over this next weekend, his mom and dad and RJ will sit down and see what they want in each school and schedule some official visits. One is scheduled for Yale. Obviously with some bigger schools coming in, that changes some things, so he will look and weigh all his options out. Academics will play a part in whatever he chooses. And where they not only have the football side, but where they will make him a better person, too.”
Logansport runs a Wing-T, so Clem’s run blocking is well ahead of his pass blocking. Although they plan to put the ball in the air more this season, one of the main areas of concentration in his early college development will be pass setting. But that, combined with his traits, are what make his future prospects so exciting.
“I think there’s a ton of room for development there,” Hudson said. “Our offense doesn’t really help him a lot when it comes to today’s offenses because they’re more spread out. He knows what he needs to improve on and coaches see that. He’s working with a trainer on pass setting, understanding footwork and drills. He always looks for challenges. That’s another piece with R.J. is he loves to be challenged from AP classes to the weight room. He’s the whole package, and a great kid on top of it.”
Clem carries a 4.3 grade-point average in the classroom and scored a 1300 on his SAT.
Peachtree City (Georgia) McIntosh defensive lineman Dallas Ward has set a Michigan State official for June 12.
Ward is a 6-foot-3, 250-pound combo prospect who figures to shade more inside in college. He had 40 tackles (nine for loss) and six sacks as a junior. Rutgers is also due to get an official visit. Minnesota recently offered, and in-state Georgia State has recruited Ward hard.
Allen Trieu covers Midwest football recruiting for On3. He has been featured on the Big Ten Network on its annual Signing Day Show. His Michigan and Michigan State recruiting columns appear weekly at detroitnews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Trieu: Michigan State Spartans target R.J. Clem 'the whole package'
Continue reading...
Michigan State changed that when offensive line coach Nick Tabacca offered on May 18, then Kansas State, UCF and Iowa State followed.
Tabacca already had been in to see Clem work out the previous week. At 6-foot-7, 265 pounds with an 84-inch wingspan and athleticism that allows him to excel on the basketball court, it should come as no surprise he is coveted.
“He got thrown in freshman year, middle of the season,” Logansport head coach Troy Hudson said. “One of the left tackles had gone down and he ended up getting his first start as a freshman.”Hudson admits Clem may not have been fully ready for that stage at the time, but few freshmen are. As a sophomore, he was more up to the task, and then was even better as a junior. He has continued to improve as a thrower in track and field also with a 50-foot shot put and 156-foot effort in the discus.
“He presents a lot,” Hudson said. “For one, his size. You can’t teach that and then his athleticism with how big he is. His basketball background is a big piece of it. A kid that’s that big, athletic, and can move; he’s pretty strong, too, and works really, really hard in the weight room. Since freshman year, his numbers have tremendously grown.”
Michigan State got in and started the rush of Power Fours. At this time, Yale is the only official visit Clem has scheduled. This week has been a hectic one, though, and he now aims to settle down and decide where he will take his other summer visits, of which Michigan State hopes to be one.
“He’s been working on it,” Hudson said. “Over this next weekend, his mom and dad and RJ will sit down and see what they want in each school and schedule some official visits. One is scheduled for Yale. Obviously with some bigger schools coming in, that changes some things, so he will look and weigh all his options out. Academics will play a part in whatever he chooses. And where they not only have the football side, but where they will make him a better person, too.”
Logansport runs a Wing-T, so Clem’s run blocking is well ahead of his pass blocking. Although they plan to put the ball in the air more this season, one of the main areas of concentration in his early college development will be pass setting. But that, combined with his traits, are what make his future prospects so exciting.
“I think there’s a ton of room for development there,” Hudson said. “Our offense doesn’t really help him a lot when it comes to today’s offenses because they’re more spread out. He knows what he needs to improve on and coaches see that. He’s working with a trainer on pass setting, understanding footwork and drills. He always looks for challenges. That’s another piece with R.J. is he loves to be challenged from AP classes to the weight room. He’s the whole package, and a great kid on top of it.”
Clem carries a 4.3 grade-point average in the classroom and scored a 1300 on his SAT.
Defensive line target sets Michigan State official
Peachtree City (Georgia) McIntosh defensive lineman Dallas Ward has set a Michigan State official for June 12.
Ward is a 6-foot-3, 250-pound combo prospect who figures to shade more inside in college. He had 40 tackles (nine for loss) and six sacks as a junior. Rutgers is also due to get an official visit. Minnesota recently offered, and in-state Georgia State has recruited Ward hard.
Allen Trieu covers Midwest football recruiting for On3. He has been featured on the Big Ten Network on its annual Signing Day Show. His Michigan and Michigan State recruiting columns appear weekly at detroitnews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Trieu: Michigan State Spartans target R.J. Clem 'the whole package'
Continue reading...
