Deacs land versatile RB Claiborne
In a very contentious recruiting battle Wake Forest came out on top for King William (Va.) running back Demond Claiborne edging out Virginia, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia for the speedster.
"I think a lot of people were surprised when I picked up the hat and committed to Wake Forest including my mom," Claiborne said. "Wake just felt like home and they showed love and I always had a great time on campus with the coaches there."
Deacs head coach Dave Clawson and running backs coach John Hunter who also ran point on Claiborne's recruitment were thrilled when he broke the news to them.
"I put them on 3-way on the phone and I told them I was committing and they screamed they were so excited and they told me they are ready to coach me and that I can come help change the program," he said.
Claiborne is the 10th commitment for the Deacs 2022 recruiting class.
Claiborne said a great sense of relief washed over him after he made that call to the Wake staff to commit.
"I feel like a giant weight is off of my shoulders," he said. "I get to be a teenager again and my recruitment is closed. I know some schools will still contact me and try to recruit me, but I'm focused on my senior season which starts in 14 days."
WVSports Keenan Cummings broke down Claiborne's skillset for Deacons Illustrated.
Skillset: Claiborne has legitimate speed and simply can outrun most of his competition at the high school level. But while he is a state champion in track, he isn’t to be confused for a track athlete playing football. No, this is a football player with track speed, and he is simply explosive with the ball in his hands.
A reoccurring theme with his highlight tape is Claiborne pulling away from defenders in the open field. Claiborne runs hard with the ball in his hands and is difficult to bring to the ground even when you are able to get your hands on him. Has fantastic balance and vision, displaying the ability to find the hole with little wasted movement in hitting it. He’s not the biggest ball carrier but displays the ability to drag tacklers and bounce off contact to pick up additional yards by keeping his legs churning.
When used as a running back Claiborne explodes through the line of scrimmage and has an array of moves and cuts that he can use at the second and third levels. Claiborne is a natural pass catcher and understands how to play the position. Dynamic with the ball in his hands, Claiborne is a weapon on both the short game as well as down the field. Difficult to tackle, Claiborne excels when in space and is going to be an intriguing piece to move around at the next level.
