While this past weekend was Clemson’s big official visit weekend, the Tigers also played host to some standout unofficial visitors for Saturday’s game against UConn, including Chapin (S.C.) High School four-star quarterback Jayden Bradford.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound sophomore is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the Palmetto State and No. 8 signal-caller in the country for the class of 2024. The trip to Tiger Town was a family affair for Bradford (pictured above, top row, second from right), who was accompanied by his mother, father, sister and grandmother as well as a couple of friends.
“The visit was awesome, being there with my family and enjoying the moment,” Bradford told The Clemson Insider.
The highlight of the visit for Bradford, he said, was being able to speak with Clemson’s quarterbacks in the locker room following the Tigers’ 44-7 win over the Huskies.
He also really enjoyed experiencing what he called an “amazing” atmosphere at Memorial Stadium, especially on Military Appreciation Day as Clemson paid tribute to the active-duty and retired military with several presentations throughout the day.
“It’s been a while [since] I’ve been there, so to get that experience was awesome,” Bradford said of attending a game at Death Valley. “I really liked the Military Appreciation Day because I feel like the armed forces don’t get the recognition they deserve sometimes, so I really appreciated the university praising them.”
The staff member that Bradford spent the most time with while on campus was senior offensive assistant J.P. Losman, a former Tulane quarterback who was a first-round NFL Draft pick in 2004 by the Buffalo Bills.
Losman appeared in 45 NFL regular-season games over eight seasons with the Bills, Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins.
“I talked with Coach J.P. the most,” Bradford said. “He greeted me and my family, and he was just talking to us, getting to know us on a personal level and telling us how the season was going and also a little about how the game is in college and the NFL.”
Bradford also interacted with Clemson quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter, who “had a lot of good things to say” to Bradford.
“I think for me the biggest takeaway I got from listening to him was to face adversity head on and attack instead of hide from it,” Bradford said of his conversations with Streeter.
Streeter traveled to check out Bradford during Chapin’s 50-14 win at Carolina Forest (Myrtle Beach) in the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs on Nov. 5, when Bradford threw for two touchdowns and ran for another score.
Bradford has also attended games at NC State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and Penn State this season, and plans to be at Notre Dame’s game vs. Georgia Tech in South Bend this Saturday.
As for the visit to Clemson, the Tigers certainly left a great impression on Bradford and his family.
“My family and I felt the love immediately from the coaches and staff,” he said. “We loved our time there.”
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