The Clemson Insider caught up with a surprise visitor in the 2023 recruiting class, who was on Clemson’s campus Saturday night
Dematha (Hyattsville, MD.) three-star cornerback Dante Lovett traveled to the University of South Carolina for an unofficial visit and to his surprise, there was also a trip to Clemson planned later that night.
“It was cool. Clemson was real cool,” Lovett said. “I had just went out there after I went to South Carolina. It was about a 2.5-hour drive. Once I got there, It was really nice just to get on campus. Everything about it was great.
“I had never been to Clemson or South Carolina, so it was like a 2-in-1 trip and that was real cool. I liked both of them a lot too.”
His trainer and mentor, Roc Carmichael, had planned it and wanted to surprise Lovett and Life Christain Academy (Colonial Heights, VA.) 2023 four-star cornerback Antonio Cotman, Jr.
“We made a living off the interstate” @CotmanHazen @dante_lovett @ClemsonFB #Steppas #1111 pic.twitter.com/he6kwh8f6v
— Roc Carmichael (@BappNAinEZBino) January 23, 2022
The former Virginia Tech and Philadelphia Eagles cornerback didn’t tell either of them until they both made it to South Carolina’s campus.
“We went out there and met with Tajh Boyd and he brought us around and showed us around the facilities and everything,” Lovett said.
Clemson previously hadn’t shown much interest in Lovett. When Brent Venables was still Clemson’s defensive coordinator he followed him on Twitter, but obviously, he has since moved on and become the head coach at Oklahoma.
Now that he visited, Lovett believes that Clemson will be in contact down the line. Boyd, who returned to Clemson as and serves as a part of the team’s offensive player development staff, has since followed him on Twitter.
“He’s really cool,” Lovett said of Boyd. “He’s really cool. He’s a real down-to-earth person. I didn’t realize that was him at first and then he said who he was and I was like ‘Oh, wow. I didn’t realize that was you.’ I didn’t put two-and-two together, but after a while, he showed his film and all that, back when he was playing. It was cool.”
What would Lovett say the highlight of his visit was?
“Just the facilities in general,” he said, “everything about it. Just seeing the trophies when you walk in. Seeing all the gear, the indoor facility, all that.”
These visits are helping Lovett evaluate his options and show him what each and every school has to offer. Clemson has set the standard high, so when Lovett looks at schools going forward, he’s going to compare it to one of the top schools in the country.
“For me, the academic part and a place that just feels like home,” Lovett said when asked what he’s looking for in a school at the next level. “I want to get that and just feel welcomed…it’s just about finding a perfect place that feels like family.”
Hadda great time at Clemson University @TajhB10 @BappNAinEZBino @ClemsonFB pic.twitter.com/cEypasTauM
— Dante Lovett (@dante_lovett) January 23, 2022
Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!