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A Clemson football recruiting update as of April 9, 2017. Dabo Swinney’s Tigers secured two commitments over the weekend, including 5-star defensive end Xavier Thomas, the No. 1 overall player in the 2018 recruiting class. 

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Dabo Swinney is evolving before our very eyes. He’s making the progression from being a great head coach to being an elite one. A national championship stated the claim, but what the Tigers did this past weekend emphasized it.

On Saturday, Swinney’s staff convinced 5-star defensive end Xavier Thomas, the No. 1 overall player in the 2018 recruiting class, to commit to Clemson over South Carolina. Thomas was originally scheduled to commit in December, but the Tigers managed to shave off eight months and add him to their board.

Then, only a few hours later, Clemson landed its second commitment of the day with 6-foot-6, 220-pound wide receiver Braden Galloway. Galloway has the frame to eventually make the move to tight end when he does suit up for the Tigers.

But the addition of Thomas is what pushed Clemson up to No. 5 in the 2018 recruiting class rankings. The Tigers now have commitments from two of the top-three players, as they landed 5-star quarterback Trevor Lawrence in December.

Clemson is also pursuing 5-star running back Zamir White (No. 4 overall) and is attempting to flip 5-star defensive end Micah Parsons (No. 3 overall) from Penn State.

Clemson’s 2018 Recruiting Class

• National Recruiting Class Ranking: No. 5
• 5-Star Commits: 2
• 4-Star Commits: 4
• 3-Star Commits: 2
• Total Commits: 8

• Xavier Thomas: 5-star, No. 1 DE, No. 1 overall
• Trevor Lawrence: 5-star, No. 1 QB, No. 2 overall
• Derion Kendrick: 4-star, No. 4 ATH, No. 88 overall
• Josh Belk: 4-star, No. 8 DT, No. 102 overall
• Justin Mascoll: 4-star, No. 21 DE, No. 214 overall
• Mike Jones Jr.: 4-star, No. 29 S, No. 273 overall
• Jake Venables: 3-star, No. 45 Position, Unranked overall
• Braden Galloway: 3-star, Unranked wide receiver

Clemson Recruiting Targets

• Zamir White: 5-star, No. 1 RB, No. 4 overall
• Patrick Surtain Jr.: 5-star, No. 1 CB, No. 8 overall
• Micah Parsons: 5-star, No. 2 DE, No. 3 overall
• K.J. Henry: 5-star, No. 3 DE, No. 18 overall
• Richard Gouraige: 4-star, No. 11 OT, No. 140 overall

Tigers Twitter

Biggest decision of my lifetime, my recruitment is OVER. I'm 100% ALL IN ‼️???????? This is only the beginning #WE2DEEP18 @ETitusThomas pic.twitter.com/RQJ7tr32BY

— Xavier Thomas 1️⃣9️⃣ (@atxlete) April 8, 2017

Five-star defensive end Xavier Thomas ended his recruitment by choosing Clemson over in-state rival South Carolina.

MORE: 4-Star TE Luke Ford On Arkansas Visit – ‘Actually Started Out Pretty Bad’