How Daylen Everette fits into Clemson secondary

CLEMSON — Four-star cornerback Daylen Everette became the 10th player to join Clemson’s 2022 recruiting class on Saturday. This is the ninth blue-chip prospect to commit to the Tigers.

The cornerback at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida is currently listed as a top-50 prospect in the 247 Sports Composite. The Virginia native is ranked as a top-10 cornerback in the class.

How does Everette fit into Clemson’s defense? The high-level prospect could be a lockdown coverage cornerback that every defense is looking for in college football.

Personnel

Heading into the season, Clemson currently has six scholarship cornerbacks on the roster for position coach Mike Reed to utilize. Juniors Andrew Booth Jr. and Sheridan Jones feel like the favorites to start, while Mario Goodrich is entering his senior season and should contribute at both corner and nickel.

After that, the Tigers get young very quickly.

Fred Davis II and Malcolm Greene are heading into their sophomore seasons. Nate Wiggins will be a true freshman this fall. Booth was getting some draft buzz this summer. Clemson needed to address cornerback multiple times in 2022. The program has accomplished that mission before August.

Top-200 recruit Toriano Pride committed to the Tigers over Ohio State in June. The St. Louis prospect is now joined by Everette. Clemson has addressed their need for coverage players by landing these two blue-chippers.

Fit

When Everette’s tape rolls on the screen, the first thing that really jumps out is the length that this cornerback has. Despite being listed at just 6-foot-1, Everette has long arms and long strides while running which allows him to cover a lot of ground in a hurry. That is a valuable combination for a cover cornerback to have.

Everette is at his best when he is allowed to play man coverage and excels at jamming outside wideouts on the line. This prospect possesses both the physicality and speed needed to succeed in man concepts.

The rising senior will need to work on zone coverage skills, but the man coverage ability should make the Clemson coaching staff very happy.

Outlook

Clemson was a bit exposed at cornerback last season. The Tigers reached a low point when Justin Fields threw for 385 yards and six touchdowns in the Sugar Bowl. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables was determined to fix that problem this offseason.

The best way to do that is through recruiting. The Tigers are hitting their checkpoints early in the class of 2020.

Everette is the second cornerback to join the class, and the top-50 prospect is one of the best man coverage players in the class who had suitors from all over the country. ACC foe North Carolina made a big push, but in the end, the ACC Atlantic powerhouse won out.

Expect Everette to compete for five-star status as the season continues. All of a sudden, Clemson has a 90 percent blue-chip ratio and three top-75 prospects. This addition once again confirms that Dabo Swinney’s program is recruiting at a national championship level.