With the college spring evaluation period having concluded, Clemson247 and TheBigSpur present our tag-team list of the state’s best 30 prospects, putting them in order of where they averaged on our separate rankings.
Blue Ridge quarterback Caleb Rowe could be a steal for an FBS program in search of a pro-style pocket passer.
We’ll be releasing them in installments of five throughout the week.
Today, we release Nos. 21-25:
25. MarQuise Jones
6-1, 185, Eau Claire H.S. (Columbia)
Position: Cornerback
Claimed offers: Duke, Vanderbilt
Low: “The only thing I can say about this kid that I think he may need to work on is possibly getting more physical. Everything else about him I really like. I like his size. I like his speed. He has great ball skills. He has the hips to play corner. He is a good cover corner. Another kid instate that I think someone will be getting a steal out of. Wouldn’t be surprised if a bigger type school goes on him after seeing him work out in person.”
Strelow: “Beyond Fairfield Central’s Devontre Parnell, Jones is the next-best established corner in the state. He has the desired hip swivel, sticks his nose in for run support and boasts the size to take on jump balls against the big receivers. The main question mark, in my mind, is whether he possesses the speed to turn and run with the FBS slot receiver type.”
24. Kendric Salley
5-10, 210, Williston-Elko H.S. (Williston)
Position: Running back
Claimed offers: South Carolina (committed)
Low: “Personally, I think Salley is a top 20 prospect in-state during this cycle. He plays in a run-style offense out of the shotgun and that will help him at USC. He has good vision, a good burst through the hole, and runs really close to the ground. He doesn’t have good speed and will not run away from people. Another knock on Salley is that he is more close to 5-foot-9, 220 pounds right now.
Strelow: “The general opinion of a few opposing prep coaches I’ve spoken with is that Salley may not be a great college prospect, but he’s good enough to merit a scholarship. Hard-worker, runs tough and with strength, nice vision, good zone runner, just lacking in the dynamic athleticism that typically attracts BCS offers. So while he’s probably not Marcus Lattimore, Salley could be a worthwhile fallback option to have if Lattimore or his recruited eventual replacement is unavailable.”
23. Rokeem Williams
6-0, 191, Williston-Elko H.S. (Williston)
Position: Receiver, safety
Claimed offers: Miami (Ohio)
Strelow: “Admittedly, I had this kid further down the rung on the state receiver ladder until I watched him at Clemson’s camp. I tend to believe if the Tigers weren’t already overloaded at the position, they’d have offered him on location. No defensive back could stay with him, a validation of that 4.4 speed timed at an MVP camp. But speed isn’t necessarily his calling card. He possesses sufficient strength and is sort of a jack of a lot of trades, master of none. Someone will get a steal here.”
Low: “This is a kid that that I think will move up several slots in this ranking before his senior season is over. He gets hurt because he plays in a heavy run based offense and some look at him as an athlete. He can run, legitimately, in the 4.4s in the 40 yard dash. One of the biggest sleepers in the state right now.”
22. Caleb Rowe
6-3, 185, Blue Ridge H.S.
Position: Pro-style quarterback
Claimed offers: Gardner-Webb, Presbyterian
Strelow: “Here’s one I’m now standing up on the table for, and I’m guilty of discarding his validity as a prospect initially based on an eyeball test alone. Very much agree with a colleague who suggested he could be another T.J. Yates, and I’d argue he is a superior prospect to new UNC commitment Patton Robinette and others in that perceived tier of quarterbacks.”
Low: “Whoever ends up getting Rowe will be getting a steal. He will fit a lot better in a pro-style offense. He is an above-average athlete, is an accurate passer, and has a solid arm. He does need to put on some weight but has the height to be a good quarterback prospect on the next level.”
21. Justin Meredith
6-5, 225, T.L. Hanna H.S. (Anderson)
Position: Tight end
Claimed offers: North Carolina (committed), Auburn, Clemson, Tennessee, Duke
Low: “When you watch Meredith during a 7-on-7 setting, you see the type of tight end prospect he could be. When you watch him in pads, you see that he has a long ways to go still. He has the size but will need several years of developing before he can contribute.”
Strelow: “The pendulum has swung to both extremes with this kid. Early in his recruitment, I thought perhaps he was held in too high a regard, although the credible offers poured in. But late in the spring, some observers were a bit too critical of his projection, and an argument could be made that he’s sunk a tad too low. No more and no less, I think he’s the type of in-line tight end Phillip Fulmer used to have a great deal of success with at Tennessee; take a tall, skinny pass-catcher and grow him into a two-way contributor by his redshirt junior year.”
South Carolina state rankings
- Paul Strelow
- a senior writer for CarolinaBlue.com - CarolinaBlue