The Clemson Insider caught up with a talented Peach State gunslinger who made a return trip to Tiger Town last week.
Calvary Day School (Savannah, Ga.) four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger – a 6-foot-3, 190-pound sophomore in the class of 2024 – was on campus at Clemson for an unofficial visit Monday, March 7.
“The visit was amazing,” he told TCI. “I got to meet and build some good relationships with the people there.”
Merklinger, ranked by Rivals as the No. 13 pro-style QB in the 2024 class, pointed to one part of the visit experience as his favorite – interacting with Dabo Swinney following Clemson’s spring practice.
“The highlight was getting to speak to Coach Swinney at the end of practice,” he said.
The Tigers’ head coach and the rest of his staff made a great impression on Merklinger, who also visited Clemson for the Wake Forest game last November and is simply taking everything in right now at this young juncture of his recruitment.
“The entire staff was awesome,” he said of the Tigers.
“I’m just a sophomore and it’s early in the recruiting process,” he added. “So I’m just trying to soak it all in.”
Merklinger, who went to Georgia Tech two weekends ago, has an offer from the Yellow Jackets to go with other offers from Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Michigan State and Cincinnati.
“An opportunity to play at the next level is humbling no matter what the school is,” he said.
Merklinger would certainly be appreciative of an offer from the Tigers if one were to come his way in the future.
“I like the family like atmosphere,” he said of his overall impression of Clemson’s program. “They have a great history of winning.”
Asked to describe himself as a QB, Merklinger said he wouldn’t compare himself to any particular signal-caller but tries to model his game after the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen.
As a sophomore last season, Merklinger completed 70 percent of his passes for 2,513 yards and 25 touchdowns with eight interceptions, while rushing for close to 300 yards and 11 more scores, according to MaxPreps.
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