The Clemson Insider caught up with a talented Sunshine State athlete, who was on campus last week and has a connection to the program.
Navarre (Fla.) four-star Zavier Hamilton — a 6-foot-1, 205-pound sophomore in the class of 2024 – was at Clemson for an unofficial visit on Monday, March 14.
“It was fantastic,” Hamilton said. “I loved every moment of it. It was an amazing experience. I can’t wait until I get to go again.”
What did Hamilton hear from Clemson’s coaching staff while he was on campus?
“Only positive things,” he said. “They said they loved my game. They said they loved how I’m a very high IQ player. They want to start building a relationship with me and I can possibly see an offer soon.”
What would it mean for Hamilton to earn an offer from Clemson?
“It would mean a lot,” he said of a potential offer. “It’s one of my favorite schools. I’ve been a Clemson fan since I was walking in diapers.”
Hamilton has a connection to the program in the form of Jordan Leggett. He’s very close to the former Clemson tight end, who he said he used to play video games with. He also understands that Clemson doesn’t offer rising juniors prior to June 1, unless they have some ties to the program
“I’m still pretty close to him,” Hamilton said regarding his relationship with Leggett. “Whenever he comes down to Florida, I train with him. I couldn’t give you an accurate estimate, but it’s at least three-to-four times a month.”
While he was back on campus, Hamilton spent the majority of his time around Wesley Goodwin. According to Hamilton, Clemson’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach was telling him that he still has time because he’s in the class of 2024, but he wants to start building a relationship. He also wants Hamilton to call him at least once or twice a week.
If Hamilton had no idea who Goodwin was before he visited Clemson, he said he would have no idea that this was the coach’s first time as a coordinator and a position coach.
In Hamilton’s eyes, Goodwin looks like he’s been in that position since he’s been at Clemson and the play of his linebackers also reflects that.
“I loved what I saw,” Hamilton said of Clemson’s linebackers. “They all play very aggressively. They all run around with a purpose. There’s no walking around on the field at all. Coach Goodwin, even though it’s his first time, is really showing that Clemson’s defense is gonna show a lot of shutouts this year.”
Seeing behind the scenes of the program truly opened up Hamilton’s eyes to Clemson even more. He had a chance to sit inside the meetings and watch the coaches really coach, which he later concluded was his favorite part of the visit.
“I can’t explain it,” he said. “It was such an amazing experience.”
Hamilton will likely be back at Clemson come June 1 to participate in the Dabo Swinney Camp this summer. In the meantime, he was at FSU this past Saturday and he’ll also be at Auburn and Notre Dame.
This past season, Hamilton showed that he could play multiple positions at a very high level. He describes himself as a jack-of-all-trades, who will do whatever it takes to win. It doesn’t matter what position he’s playing, he can make an impact anywhere.
Rivals currently ranks Hamilton as the No. 28 athlete and the No. 201 overall prospect nationally in the class of 2024.
Had a fantastic time at Clemson Definitely coming back up soon🐅#ALLin #Clemson @Clemson247 @ClemsonFB @Coach_Grisham @C3Elite7v7 @wdboyd1 @adamgorney @RWrightRivals @ChadSimmons_ @ClemsonSI @Clemson247@Sam_Neumann_ @Andrew_Ivins @ClemsonInsider @ClemsonTigerNet @WesleyGoodwin pic.twitter.com/kwhI0Rpxpt
— Zavier Hamilton (@ZavierHamilton1) March 15, 2022
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