Clemson -  Three Star Class Ranking - The Tigers have added a nine member recruiting class that looks to be solid but as a group they do not have the marquee type resumes that Clemson newcomers have had at times in the past.  Forwards Brannon Blanke from Castle Hayne, North Carolina and Austin Savage from Summerville, South Carolina are among the members of the class who may be able to put a little extra growl in a Clemson attack that seemed lacking at times in 2008.  Goalkeeper  Kamran Khyltash from Orange, California adds a relatively rare west coach flavor to Clemson’s 2009 recruiting class.  The biggest hurdle for Clemson heading into the 2009 season could be overcoming the loss of head coach Trevor Adair who resigned in June after fourteen seasons at the helm of the program.  Assistant coach Phil Hindson will serve as the interim coach for the program through the 2009 season.  Adair had a 174-91-26 record during his tenure at Clemson that included nine invitations to the NCAA Tourney.  Adair was very highly regarded by both players and peers.  The good news for Hindson is that he will inherit a very experienced group of players.  Forward Michael Brooks (6g, 1a), who was Clemson’s leading goal scorer last year, and defender Bryson Moore, who was a four year starter, were the only seniors on the 2008 team that was 7-9-2 overall with a 3-4-1 mark in ACC play.   The bad news is that while Clemson is a team that is well known on the national scene, they are a program that appears stalled and in dire need of a little momentum.  The Tigers have had losing seasons for the past two years during which time they were not even close to earning an invite to the NCAA Tourney.  In addition you have to go back to 2001, when the Tigers finished in the third spot in regular season ACC play, to find a year in which Clemson was not the number six or seven seed in the ACC Tourney.  True, the Tigers made a great end of season run in 2005 to advance to the Final Four and they advanced to the Round of Sixteen in 2006 but the bottom line is that they were the number seven seed in the ACC Tourney in 2005 with two league wins and the number six seed in 2006 with three league wins.  The Clemson back line looks to be a team strength heading into the 2009 season with the return of senior defenders David Newton, a 2008 All-ACC Second Team selection, and Greg Eckhardt (2g, 2a), a prime timer who has been a starter for the past three seasons.  Sophomore Franklin Blaise from Miami, who was a starter last year, returns to give the Tigers a backline that should be very good.  Senior Joe Bendik, who was an All-ACC Second Team selection last year, returns in goal.  Bendix is considered by many to be among the top netminders in the country heading into the 2009 campaign.  There is every reason to believe that the Clemson midfield will be stronger in 2009 than it was last year.  Returning starters in the midfield include senior Hassan Ibrahim (4g, 4a), juniors Eric Cava (0g, 5a) and Tommy Drake (1g, 2a), and sophomores Nick Burton (3g, 3a) and Keegan Priest (2g, 4a).  Senior Nathan Thornton (3g, 1a) is among those who return up-top. One thing is for sure, Clemson is always a dangerous team particularly when playing at home.  Last year they were 6-3-1 at home but they struggled on the road with a 1-5-1 record.  For Clemson to get back on track in 2009 someone needs to step forward to become the “go-to” scorer.  They don’t currently have a proven consistent goal scorer.  The Tigers have not really had a dangerous finisher since the duo of Dane Richards and Fredercio Moojen left in 2006.  In addition, Clemson has to find a way to win on the road and find a way to prevail in the close contests that have eluded them the past two years.  The big question facing Hindson heading into the 2009 season is whether or not it is going to be a stop gap year or a year in which the Tigers get “Big Mo” back on their side.  The bottom line is that from top to bottom, Clemson will not be the most talented team in the ACC in 2009, maybe not even in the top five in that regard.  So in order to have any chance of reviving the magic that the program has enjoyed at times in the past, they are going to have to utilize their quickness, gel as a team early on,  and play with intensity on both sides of the ball.  This is a program with their back to the wall.  It will be interesting to see how they respond. Clemson opens the 2009 season with non-conference matches at home against Gardner-Webb, South Carolina, and Charlotte followed by ACC foe Wake Forest.   Look for the outcome of those early matches to be a good gauge of the mettle of this team and to have a huge impact on the remainder of the season.

 

Marco Alcocer - Pflugerville, Texas - Midfielder - Connally High School - Played for Lonestar Soccer Club - Helped Connally secure a district and area championships. 

 

Brannon Blanke - Castle Hayne, North Carolina - Forward - New Hanover High School - Netted forty-nine goals his senior season - Member North Carolina ODP team - Adidas ESP participant.

 

Travis Dennis - Bowie, Maryland - Midfielder - Bowie High School - Played club for Freestate Elite - Helped club team win state cup championship in 2008. 

 

Eric Fletcher - Norcross, Georgia - Midfielder - Greater Atlanta Christian High School - Played club for the Norcross Fury - Member Georgia ODP team - All-County selection.

 

Wole Kekere-kEkun - Bowie, Maryland - Defender - Dematha Catholic High School - Played club for the Freestate Elite - All-County selection and All-Catholic Athletic Conference selection.

 

Kamran Khyltash - Orange, California - Goalkeeper - Villa Park High School - Member of the Pateadores Development Academy - Played with Chivas USA U-18’s in Copa Chivas International.

 

Wesley Nelson - Austin, Texas - Defender - McNeil High School - Played for the Lonestar Soccer Club - First Team All-District selection. 

 

Austin Savage - Summerville, South Carolina - Forward - Stratford High School - All-State selection - Scored fifty-six goals his senior season - Played club for Bridge FC.

 

Josh Shutter - Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania - Defender - Wilson High School - All-State and Regional All-American - Played club for the PA Classics in the USSF Development Academy.