NFL legacy commit extends Clemson's reach in Texas

★★★★ RJ Mickens‍ , 6-1, 190-pounds, Southlake Carrol High School, Southlake, TX

Head Coach: Riley Dodge

Overview: Will play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio on Jan. 4, 2020 … listed among the top defensive backs in the nation by many services … all-around player who helped Southlake Carroll as a safety and receiver who is slated to play safety at Clemson … ranked as the second-best safety in the nation by PrepStar … for his career as four-year starter, recorded 211 tackles, eight interceptions and 40 passes defensed … offensively, added 61 receptions for 1,092 yards and 14 touchdowns … was also an outstanding punt returner with 29 career returns for 574 yards, a 19.8-yard average … son of former NFL player Ray Mickens, Sr.

Rankings: Ranked as No. 33 overall player in the nation, the second-best safety and fourth-best player in Texas by PrepStar … 247Sports ranked Mickens as the No. 96 overall player, the fifth-best safety and the 13th-best player in the state of Texas … ESPN.com listed Mickens as the No. 138 overall player, the 12th-best safety and the 22nd-best player in Texas … listed as the No. 194 overall player in the nation by Rivals.com … was a preseason second-team MaxPreps All-American for 2019.

In High School: Played for Riley Dodge at Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas … Helped Southlake Carroll to a 13-1 record in 2019 … The team was ranked in the top 15 in the nation by MaxPreps most of the year, including a No. 12 as of Dec. 14 … recorded 19 tackles, a tackle for loss and three passes broken up in limited action in 2019 … recorded seven punt returns for 121 yards, a 17.3-yard average … posted 57 tackles in 2018, adding two interceptions, five total pass breakups and a tackle for loss … contributed 14 punt returns for 294 yards, 21.0 yards per return … as a sophomore in 2017, posted a career-high 99 tackles, three tackles for loss, two interceptions and 15 passes defensed … averaged 20 yards per punt return on eight returns as a sophomore … had 13 passes defensed, three interceptions and 36 tackles as a freshman.

Personal: Committed to Clemson on April 6, 2019 … recruited to Clemson by Mickey Conn … wore No. 10 at Southlake Carroll … son of former Texas A&M All-American defensive back Ray Mickens, Sr. … Ray Mickens, Sr. was a third-round pick in the 1996 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, for whom he played for eight seasons, and played one year in Cleveland for a total of 146 career NFL games … expected to enroll at Clemson in January 2020.

Mickens made his decision to come to Clemson over offers from Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, UCLA, and others. 

Lowell Likes:

Mickens is a safety, but with his abilities in man to man, he might as well be a corner. He’s a little like former Florida State and current Chargers defensive back Derwin James. A swiss army knife of a guy who can line up at any defensive back spot and cover anyone on the field with good effectiveness, but he also already possesses good knowledge of zone defense.