Swinney, West Get Diomande in the Rough

It didn’t take the Clemson Tigers long to fill the void left by Mike McIntosh as the coaching staff quickly moved in with an offer to Andrew Diomande. The talented receiver from Christopher Columbus High School will be the 25th member of the 2004 recruiting class.

WR Andrew Diomande
6-2, 185, 4.5
Columbus High School
Miami, Florida

CUTigers.com caught up with Christopher Columbus head coach Chris Merrit to get the latest on the 6-2, 185 pound speedster.

“Andrew is a kid that was on nobody's radar. Andrew is the nephew of Andre Wadesworth. Andre called me last summer and asked about getting Andrew to transfer. I didn’t know what I had until mid way through the season. We didn’t throw the ball much until we discovered what we had with Andrew.”

Diomande caught over 40 passes for almost 700 yards and 6 touchdowns last year.

The Clemson coaching staff moved quickly yesterday to fill the spot left when Mike McIntosh pulled a double reverse and signed with Florida. “The coaching staff called last night. We had a conference call with Coach Bowden, Coach Swinney and Coach West. Andrew has committed to Clemson and he will sign with them. They have sent the paperwork and registered him with the clearinghouse. He will sign this week. He plans to visit as soon as he is allowed.”

“He really did not get on anybody's radar. Andre sent out some tapes through his connections at Florida State," said Merritt. "The common thing among the coaches was they wish they would have know about him a month earlier.”

Diomande ranked third in Dade County in receiving and broke all of the schools single season receiving records. The Florida standout also was 1st in Dade County in yards per catch.

The entire family is very pleased with the opportunity that Andrew will have to play for Clemson and Coach Bowden. “Andre Wadesworth plays a very important role with Andrew. Andre knows coach Bowden from his time at Florida State so he is very pleased with the decision.”

Coach Merrit believes the Tigers will be very pleased with the last minute addition.

“He’s very athletic around the football. He made a lot of catches over people. He does great with the posts and the fly patterns. His biggest strength is his ability to run routes. He is really a technician. He knows how to put his body in position where he is the only one that can catch the ball.”

We will continue to keep you updated on this outstanding wide receiver from Florida as his story unfolds over the next few days.