Dexter Lawrence, the No. 8 prospect in the country, is staying in ACC country.
The five-star prospect, who is the No. 4 defensive tackle in the Class of 2016, committed to Clemson over NC State, North Carolina, Alabama and Ohio State on Monday afternoon at a ceremony at Wake Forest High School.
The decision came down to the Wolfpack and Tigers for the 6-foot-5, 335-pound Lawrence in the past few weeks.
Prior to announcing, Lawrence made official visits to Florida, Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama and NC State last weekend.
Lawrence is another big recruiting win from the Tar Heel State for Dabo Swinney and his staff. ESPN 300 offensive guard Sean Pollard is committed in the 2016 class following the Tigers' inking of three four-star prospects from the state in the 2015 class.
"I can't wait for spring practice to get here. This guy is an unbelievable talent," Swinney told ESPN.com after Lawrence's announcement. "He's our kind of guy. He's a great fit for our culture here. He's very serious about his academics, he has wonderful parents, and I look forward to welcoming Dexter to the family.
"He'll show up in January as a mid-year and be ready to go. This is Christmas coming early today. Just excited about adding Dexter Lawrence to our recruiting class and the Clemson family."
In the Class of 2015, it was ESPN 300 defensive tackle Christian Wilkins who was a huge out-of-state victory for Brent Venables and the defensive staff. The five ESPN 300 defensive linemen in the 2015 class, plus Lawrence and two additional ESPN 300 defensive linemen in the 2016 class, will provide the Tigers with a talented and deep front four in the coming seasons.
Prior to Lawrence's verbal, Clemson was the No. 20 class, according to RecruitingNation. Lawrence becomes the seventh ESPN 300 commitment for the Tigers, joining headliners Tavien Feaster (No. 2 running back), No. 3 inside linebacker Tre' Lamar and ESPN 300 defensive end Xavier Kelly.
The Tigers have the opportunity to inch closer to another top-10 class in the coming weeks. The Tigers are in the lead for ESPN 300 No. 26 Rahshaun Smith and are in the hunt for ESPN 300 receiver Diondre Overton, as well as four-stars John Simpson and Bryan Edwards.
ESPN.com's David Hale contributed to this report.