Is A.J. Harmon a Clemson Tiger? The answer is yes. For now.

A.J. Harmon is an interesting young man.

He could have his heart set on joining the Clemson Tigers in the fall of 2008. Or he could have just chosen a suitor for now the same way a high school lad decides to go steady with a certain pretty girl.

We all know how long that can last.

Harmon is committed to the Tigers today. It may or may not mean the engaging young lineman is done looking around.

The 6-foot-6, 325-pound Harmon committed to the Tigers late Friday night.

“It was around nine,” Harmon said. “Right when I got back from camp at Clemson.”

But Harmon did say he will still take his official visits later this fall.

“I am still going on my official to Athens because of Coach Richt and Coach G (Georgia defensive line coach Rodney Garner) because there’s nothing bad at all about Georgia really,” Harmon said. “I know I will visit Georgia later in the fall. I am thinking about visiting Auburn. I am going to take that Tennessee visit. I am going to go to Michigan.”

That showed a little instability in his decision. He later reversed course.

“Those are all visits and a chance to go visit a place I’ve never been,” he said. “That’s a trip to go see a place I’ve never been. I will take advantage of that. If Southern California was to give me an offer, I’d go visit that school because I want to take that trip to L.A.”

That decision is a contrast to a choice made by another local standout in Burke County’s Cornelius Washington. Washington told his coaching staff at Burke County to tell the nation’s other top football programs not to waste their time.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Washington saw no need to take official visits or look into any other school. Even when stellar programs like Florida called.

That’s even though he’s listed as a Top 100 National Prospect on the same recruiting services as Harmon.

What Harmon is doing is the norm. What Washington has chosen to do is not. Each was an independent decision made by a youth in a man’s body with the free will to do whatever they feel is best.

But the definition of solid in this crazed recruiting world is what Washington is doing. Not Harmon’s current commitment to Clemson.

When speaking to him at length, it seems he is content with Clemson. The Tigers have been his private favorite all along.

“Clemson was the second school to offer me after Auburn did,” Harmon said. “Georgia came in with their offer later than Clemson. (Harmon said Georgia offered him at the Tennessee game last year.) Clemson just had more time with me. If Georgia would have offered me first before Clemson then I would probably be with Georgia today.”

Harmon has always said his favorites were Clemson and Georgia. But he did tell me after National Signing Day this year if he would have had to sign with a team last February, his choice would have been Georgia.

I suggested to him on Monday that he made his decision sound like a hard-fought game. He agreed. Especially when I added it seemed to me like Clemson edged by Bulldogs by a 50-49 margin.

“I can tell you this,” he said. “If anything happens to Tommy Bowden or (Clemson defensive line coach) Chris Rumph or recruiting coordinator Billy Napier, then I will de-commit from Clemson and commit to Georgia. I’m committed to Clemson, but what I am really committed to is those three men at Clemson. Not the school. I know Mark Richt is not going anywhere at Georgia. I know he’s stable in Athens. If there’s not the same thing at Clemson with those three guys when I sign in 2008, then I will go to Georgia.”

There are times when the congenial giant is as perplexing as he is talented.

Harmon said it took the cumulative trust he’s placed in those three men to earn his commitment. If one of those is replaced, expect him to fall out of love with Clemson.

“Clemson just told him they would make sure he is taken care of academically,” Jefferson County coach J.B. Arnold said.

That initially sounded a little fishy.

When I asked Arnold to clarify those remarks, he suggested Clemson has convinced Harmon they would make it a priority he stay on track for graduation. Harmon made it sound like those men had guaranteed to play personal grade watchdog when it came to his degree progress.

There’s another twist to his recruiting story. The recruiting experts who feed information to willing subscribers on the Internet say he’s an offensive guard. Rivals.com lists him as the top offensive guard in the Class of 2008.

Even his current head coach finds that funny.

“I’m not one of those recruiting experts,” Jefferson County coach J.B. Arnold said. “A.J. has never lined up one snap at offensive guard for us. Those experts are doing a lot of projecting.”

Harmon forced 12 fumbles last year, including eight in one game against region runner-up Swainsboro. Arnold said four of those were on quarterback-center exchanges and three came on hand-offs. Another came when drilled his 6-foot-6 frame into a runner.

That’s an awful lot of production to place on the shelf. Harmon's commitment to Clemson is at the defensive tackle spot.

I broached the offensive or defensive line subject with just about every region coach who’s faced his Warriors the last three years. The universal consensus was he was a much better player on the defensive line.

One well-respected area coach said Harmon was not worth a buttered biscuit to play on his offensive line. That same coach said he had every ingredient to be a big-time defensive tackle at a big-time football program.

I will place my stock in their counsel.

Maybe he could be a great offensive guard. I’ve seen Harmon play about seven full games over three years at Jefferson County. His instincts are a better fit for the aggressive nature of a defensive tackle. He changes the game more -- even with his size -- at defensive tackle.

Maybe those recruiting genuises can spot the next great offensive guard from just combine work and individual one-on-one drills. Or snippets of highlight tape. I applaud them if they can. That's a rare talent.

My concern about their evaluation method is they are not doing their projecting by watching Harmon play football games live.

Production on the field seems to be more integral to the process than a smattering of game tape of the best 20 plays culled from a season.

So when I’m asked about where Harmon is going these days, I will say the process is not over. Arnold even said he will not try to deter the college coaches that call to stop recruiting him. Harmon has not told him to do so.

I’ll use a golf analogy: Clemson’s in the lead. UGA is a stroke behind. No one is in the clubhouse. Everyone is still on the course. Anything can happen.

It looks good for the Tigers, but my feeling is their work is reeling in the area’s biggest fish is far from over.

All I needed to hear was this: "I'm done," Harmon said. "I'm soooo Clemson Tiger-bound I'm building a miniature of Frank Howard's rock in my metal shop class this fall. Tell all those other schools to save their stamps. No more letters! Quit calling me. Stop text messaging me. I am going to paint my toenails orange and purple, bro."

I did not hear that. Or anything close to that. So I will keep checking in on Harmon. I'll enjoy tracking this story over the next eight months.

Harmon's a fun guy to talk to. I'm still not sold he has made up his mind.