Clemson football battling Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and others for 4-star OL
Elite offensive line recruits are among the most coveted assets in college football. That’s why a player like Canon Pickett from Tampa, Florida is hearing from virtually every elite program in the nation.
Recently, the 4-star prospect released his top 10 schools to Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports and Clemson made the list. However, the Tigers are going to have to beat out some tough competition in this recruiting battle.
Also on Pickett’s list are Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Florida, Florida State, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, and Auburn. That means that Clemson will have to put its absolute best foot forward if Pickett is going to eventually become a Tiger.
Pickett is a 6-foot-4, 288-pound interior offensive lineman. 247Sports’ composite rankings list him as the No. 340 player in the nation for the class of 2026 regardless of position. He’s also the No. 25 interior offensive lineman in his class and the No. 48 player in the state of Florida, a talent-rich area for football recruiting.
Currently, seven of the 19 offensive linemen on Clemson’s football roster are listed as either juniors or seniors meaning they will be either gone or in their final season of eligibility by the time the 2026 class arrives. On the other hand, nine current Clemson offensive linemen are either true freshmen or redshirt freshmen.
In other words, the program is in a good spot when it comes to its depth at the offensive line position. However, continually adding more pieces at that position group is essential.
That’s because offensive linemen are the hardest players in the sport to project. It is extremely difficult to know which 18-year-old recruit is going to be able to put on enough quality weight to be able to stand up against high-end pass rushers while also maintaining the mobility needed to play the position.
