One of Clemson’s top offensive linemen targets in the 2024 recruiting class returned to Tiger Town last weekend.
After unofficially visiting back in June when he first picked up an offer from the Tigers, Tuscarora (Leesburg, Va.) four-star offensive tackle Fletcher Westphal was back on campus for Clemson’s 30-20 victory over NC State at Death Valley on Saturday night.
Westphal, who was among the many top prospects in attendance for Clemson’s top-10 win, was originally supposed to visit for the Louisville game on Nov. 12 but elected to travel down to Clemson this past weekend instead.
He later told The Clemson Insider that while he was planning for a November visit, he was “definitely glad” that he made this game.
“It was awesome,” Westphal said regarding his first Clemson gameday experience. “I got there early and they toured me around the campus and I could see the fans already set up at 1:30 p.m. tailgating. The excitement was already building that early. It just kept building closer until it got to game time.
“I got to meet the team at the top of the hill at the rock before they enter the field before the game. That was crazy. One of my friends saw me on TV in the crowd.”
Did anything about Clemson’s game day atmosphere stand out to Westphal?
“At the end of the game, the fans ran to the field and everyone sang the Clemson school song,” he said. “I never saw that before any college I visited. (I) enjoyed seeing the team in action on the field and watching the coaches in person. The athleticism and physicality of the Tigers overpowered NC State.”
Westphal also got to spend a good amount of time with both offensive line coach Thomas Austin and offensive player development coach Tyrone Crowder, which he said he didn’t exactly expect to happen.
“Coach Austin wanted to know about my season and the game I had Friday night,” Westphal said regarding what he heard from Clemson’s offensive line coach. “(He) wanted to see how I was playing and how I felt about playing both defense and offense this season. He also gave me a tour of the 100 Yards of Wellness, which was really nice. He seemed calm and ready for game time.”
Westphal made coming to the Clemson game a priority, even though he had an 8-hour trip from Virginia after his Friday night game.
“I think that meant a lot to Coach Austin,” he said.
As far as other visits are concerned, Westphal confirmed his plans to be in attendance for the Michigan State-Ohio State game this Saturday, Oct. 8. Next Saturday, Oct. 15, he plans to be at the Virginia Tech-Miami game in Blacksburg.
Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.
Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!
