Things have come full circle for David Ojiegbe.
The four-star edge rusher out of St. John’s College (Washington, D.C.) High School announced an offer from Clemson, while he was on campus for the Tigers’ Elite Visit Day on Saturday.
“It means a lot,” Ojiegbe told The Clemson Insider. “It feels pretty good that they think I’m part of the guys that can play there. It felt pretty good getting that offer.
“They showed me great hospitality and they showed me a great time. I definitely appreciate the offer. I appreciate Coach Dabo Swinney talking to me, talking to my uncle, talking to my uncle, It definitely felt great.”
Ojiegbe had a sense that it was coming, but he just wanted it to be finalized. Lemanski Hall sealed the deal when he offered him in person.
“I met Coach Dabo and I met Coach Wesley (Goodwin), so it was definitely a good experience,” he said. “Definitely saw them practice, got a feel for the coaching staff, got a feel for the vibe at Clemson and it definitely felt good. I liked it a lot.”
Clemson was already in good standing with Ojiegbe before Clemson’s defensive ends coach presented him with a scholarship Saturday. With that being said, where do the Tigers stand in his recruitment, now that he has an offer in hand?
“They still stand pretty high, definitely,” he said.
In his conversation with Clemson’s defensive ends coach Saturday, Ojiegbe had a chance to pick his brain and get some good knowledge from him. He talked with Hall about his coaching style, what he expects, the transition from high school to college and what else Ojiegbe can work on going forward.
“I definitely like his coaching style,” Ojiegbe said of Hall. “He’s a player’s coach and he’s just for the players too. He just knows his players and cares about his players. I definitely like his style.
Clemson’s practices are similar to what Ojiegbe says he does at St. John’s, so feels like he’d fit in pretty well. Having the opportunity to see Xavier Thomas and KJ Henry up close and personal at practice made him appreciate their games even more.
Ojiedge concluded that being able to watch Clemson’s practice was the highlight of his campus visit, in addition to hearing Swinney’s presentation, which lasted over two hours. All of the prospects on campus were really engaged and locked in the entire time he was talking.
“Just him being real with us and telling us everything about his program,” Ojiegbe said. “Him speaking about his life definitely had a big impact on me and just being as genuine as possible. It was a cool experience and I liked what I heard. Everything he said was very real. It felt very genuine and it sounded like everything came from the heart.”
Ojiegebe’s connection to the program is that he’s a former teammate of Clemson redshirt sophomore tackle Tré Williams, with whom he has a close relationship. He had the chance to catch up and check in with Williams, who he hasn’t talked to in a while. Williams, of course, isn’t currently practicing right now, as he recovers from multiple offseason surgeries.
“He was there when I got offered,” Ojiegbe said of his former high school teammate. “He was definitely excited.”
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