Portland (OR) Westview wide receiver Darrius Clemons committed to Michigan on Wednesday afternoon. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Auburn, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oregon, and Penn State, among others.
Clemons is listed at 6’3″ and 205 lbs. and supposedly runs a 4.37 forty.
RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 82 grade, #23 WR, #181 overall
On3: 4-star, 96 grade, #5 WR, #47 overall
Rivals: 4-star, 5.9 grade, #18 WR, #91 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 93 grade, #30 WR, #172 overall
Hit the jump for more.
Clemons lived in Michigan for a while growing up, where he developed a friendship with Michigan receiver Andrel Anthony as a kid. Then Clemons started bouncing around the country a little bit, spending time out west. He considered Michigan early in his recruitment, but then things seemed to fall off. At different times he seemed bound for Oregon, Penn State, and Auburn. Then just a few weeks ago, he popped back up on Michigan’s radar. Offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Josh Gattis had kept up with him and finally convinced him to take an official visit, which resulted in Clemons signing with the Wolverines after all.
Clemons is a tall, thick, fast athlete. I thought he was a solid prospect as a junior, but he’s bigger and faster as a senior. He has great acceleration off the line of scrimmage, which can’t always be said about bigger receivers. He’s a long strider with very good top-end speed, and he also understands how to set up routes, sink his hips, chop his feet, and come out of his breaks. He also catches the ball well with his hands away from his body. And with his big frame, he should be a plus blocker.
I think Clemons can improve his route running, and he may have to adjust his releases off the line of scrimmage. It seemed teams did not want to press him because they didn’t have anyone able to handle him physically, but that just allowed him to get up to full speed quicker. College teams are going to put someone in his face at times and try to challenge him, so he will have to deal with that.
Overall, Clemons is a very good prospect. After initially thinking he would be a solid top-200 prospect, I now think he’s a top-100 type of guy. So I agree more with On3/Rivals than ESPN/247. Much like what we see with Cornelius Johnson in 2021 (if he’s singled up with no one over the top, take a shot), Clemons is that type of guy who’s really going to stress a defense. Most teams won’t have a guy who can handle Clemons one-on-one.
Michigan has not had a player from Oregon on its roster since James B. Wiley in 1962. Clemons is the third wide receiver in the class, joining Tyler Morris and Amorion Walker.
TTB Rating: 88
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