Already enrolled 2009 Clemson recruits have speed and strength

By Robert Rousseau  |   Wednesday, February 18, 2009  |  Comments( 1 )

Clemson Tigers
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!

With national signing day having come and gone in college football, the Clemson Tigers and head coach Dabo Swinney are now licking their chops in anticipation of what their 2009 recruiting class might add to the team. The good thing is that two of their 2009 recruits -- Malliciah Goodman and J.K. Jay -- graduated from high school in 2008, allowing them to enroll at Clemson last month.

Jay, a 6-foot-4, 275-pounder, is a four-star offensive tackle from Christ Church High School in Greenville, S.C., with 4.78-second speed in the 40-yard dash. Sometimes these speed numbers are bloated, as there really isn’t any official process used to obtain them. However, if you look at the way Jay moved in high school from his right tackle position, that speed looks to be pretty accurate. He displays great feet, excellent toughness and on more than one occasion pancaked someone in high school, only to get up and make another block downfield.

He’s the real deal, which is why Rivals considers him the 15th-best tackle in the 2009 class. Add in a 3.4 GPA, 400-pound bench press, and ridiculous-for-a-lineman 33-inch vertical leap, and you have the entire package. There’s no doubt that the Tigers are glad to already have this guy on campus.

The 6-4, 255-pound Goodman, meanwhile, is a four-star defensive end from Florence, S.C., who runs the 40 in a tremendous 4.57. Add in the fact that Goodman is also considered the third-strongest defensive end in the nation according to Rivals, and you have the stuff of a superstar.

We’re talking about a 460-pound squat and 320-pound bench press to go along with a 33-inch vertical. On top of it all, Goodman achieved a 3.26 GPA in high school and managed 125 tackles and 11 sacks over the course of his sophomore and junior seasons combined. Rivals believes that Goodman is the second-best strongside defensive end in the nation this season.

There is no doubt about two things. First, these two already enrolled players should go a long way toward helping the Tigers achieve big things in the years to come. Second, they have both the speed and strength to make waves.
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans! (1)

About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or ...
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report