No.6 Tennessee and No.7 Clemson are set to battle for the Orange Bowl on Friday Night at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. The two programs will have the stage to themselves and look to springboard the 2023 campaign and 2024 recruiting class with a victory tonight.
“It’s another opportunity for kids across the entire country to see the brand of football that you’re playing, the culture that you have by the way that you compete together,” Josh Heupel said on the impact a game of this magnitude can have on recruiting. “Throughout the course of this season, we’ve been able to show the proof of what this program is becoming and what’s going on inside of our building and continuing to take steps forward to continuing to compete for championships. When we first arrived, you were talking about it. A year ago they saw a little bit of proof of it. They get a chance to see a whole lot more of who we are and what we’re about and the exciting brand of football that we’re going to play. We’re going to be extremely aggressive on offense, but we’re going to have that same mentality and attitude on the defensive side of the ball and play that way on special teams, too. This is a great opportunity for Tennessee’s brand, its logo, the university to be in the forefront of the country, playing in one of the iconic bowl games in college football.”
Ahead of the clash, we take an early look at some of the recruiting battles the two teams are already entrenched in.
Elite Linebacker Sammy Brown
Brown is among the nation’s top prospects regardless of position, and he is high on the board for each of these programs. A frequent visitor to both schools, it is safe to assume the Jefferson (Ga.) prospect will pay close attention to this game. Tennessee has recruited Brown hard and will continue to do so moving forward.
Elite QB Jayden Davis
Davis is a tough read, but he is an elite signal-caller that has visited both schools a couple of times. He raved about his visit to Tennessee following the Alabama game and asserted the Vols are in the mix for his services. Davis has spent time in South Carolina over his prep career, and the Tigers, much like the Vols are going to continue to try and stack the quarterback position with elite prospects.
Elite Wide Receiver Ryan Wingo
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Tennessee made a big move in the recruitment of Ryan Wingo over the last six months. They managed to get him to campus twice and he has connected well with Kelsey Pope. He is a guy that Tennessee has honed in on in the class and will swing at until the end most likely. The standout from Missouri made over fifteen trips from Summer through the season, but the Vols are certainly among the standouts, along with Clemson. The Tigers got Wingo to campus, they have extended and offer and are selling him on similar points to what Tennessee is.
Elite ATH K.J. Bolden
Bolden is arguably the top skill player in this class, and the Buford High School (Ga.) standout likes both Tennessee and Clemson. He visited both schools since the Summer and both appear to be in play, along with Ohio State, Georgia and Alabama. Tennessee likes Bolden as a receiver, which he has noted has a lot of appeal to him, as other schools like him as a defensive back.
Prized Offensive Tackle Kam Pringle
Clemson might have the inside track on this one, but the Vols are not going to go away easily. Tennessee managed to get the top prospect from the Palmetto State to campus for a game, and he raved about the Vols and reliability to Glen Elarbee. He likes the offense and his potential fit. He is a similar prospect to Darnell Wright at this stage of their careers, so Tennessee has plenty to point to. Clemson is obviously going to make a strong play for the top in-state prospect, though. Numerous others are involved in this recruitment.
Elite ATH Mike Matthews
Another elite Peach State prospect that Tennessee and Clemson covet is Parkview’s Mike Matthews. A top-ten prospect in the class, Matthews can play receiver or safety at an elite level. Both schools are selling him on early opportunities. The Vols like the versatile prospect at receiver, but they certainly would not turn him away at defensive back.
Other players that have Tennessee and Clemson both on their shortlist include 2024 CB Omilio Agard, OT Fletcher Westphal, Edge Edderick Houston, and Elite RB Jerrick Gibson, among others.
