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Clemson adds to defensive line haul with No. 5 recruit K.J. Henry

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Clemson's defense gets stronger with K.J. Henry (1:43)

K.J. Henry is the No. 5 overall recruit in the ESPN 300 and officially commits to the University of Clemson. (1:43)

As if Clemson needed any extra help along the defensive line, the Tigers on Wednesday landed five-star defensive end K.J. Henry, the No. 5 prospect in the ESPN 300.

The 6-foot-6, 234-pound prospect chose Clemson over Virginia Tech, South Carolina and Georgia.

Henry, from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, gives Clemson four ESPN 300 defensive line commits in the 2018 class, including five-star defensive end Xavier Thomas, the No. 3 overall prospect.

This defensive line class reloads the depth chart as redshirt sophomore Clelin Ferrell and junior Christian Wilkins could be top NFL draft prospects. If the two decide to remain in school, it only bolsters the depth for the following season.

Henry is the son of Keith Henry, the running backs coach at UNC Charlotte, who has helped his son throughout the recruiting process. K.J. Henry said his father did not reveal what schools have been in contact with him regarding potential job offers, so as to not impact K.J.'s decision.

With Henry now in the class, Clemson has eight ESPN 300 commitments and 12 overall. It's a smaller class for the Tigers in terms of quantity, but the overall quality is high on the list. Along with Henry and Thomas, Clemson also has the No. 1 pocket-passing quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, and the sixth-ranked defensive end, Justin Mascoll.

Clemson isn't losing a ton of talent from the roster, returning starting quarterback Kelly Bryant, most of the wide receiver corps and a large amount of the starting defense.