One of the nation’s top edge rushers in the class of 2023 announced via social media that he will be visiting Clemson in the coming weeks.
The Clemson Insider checked in on Platte County (Platte City, Mo.) five-star edge rusher Chandavian Bradley, who previewed his upcoming visit to Clemson and gave the latest on his recruitment.
Bradley spoke with Clemson’s defensive ends coach Monday, as he officially locked in his visit to campus on June 7.
“From what I have talked to, I really do like Coach Hall a lot,” he said. “Me being able to see him in person and everything is really going to make stuff a lot simpler with us.”
With that being said, what is Bradley hoping to see when he takes his first unofficial visit to Clemson in two weeks?
“As much as I can, honestly,” Bradley said. “I want to go into graphic design in college, that’s going to be a big thing for me to be able to see. Mostly, I want to talk to their sports media people because that’s the main thing I want to do in college.”
There is certainly mutual interest between Clemson and Bradley. That was especially true when he included the Tigers in his top-10 schools, even without an offer.
Clemson hasn’t offered Bradley just yet because he hasn’t visited campus before. That falls under the umbrella of their recruiting strategy and it’s something that the elite pass-rusher understands and is completely aware of.
“I know 100% that that’s the reason,” Bradley said. “They’ve already told me that they’re the type of school that really likes to offer in-person and everything.”
“Most people are completely transparent about stuff like that,” he continued. “Most schools, at least the ones I’ve talked to, are always transparent about stuff like that. I know what I have to do to help them out.”
What would it mean for Bradley to earn an offer from a school like Clemson?
“Obviously, it would mean a lot,” he said. “It’s historically one of the best colleges for not just football, but sports in general; seeing as they did win a national championship just a few years ago. But, also I know that they have some of the best facilities in all of college. Even with the defense obviously not being under the (Brent) Venables regime that they were before, I still know that they’re going to be a defensive powerhouse, as they normally are. A lot of those coaches are still there.”
The opportunity to play early at Clemson is intriguing for a prospect like Bradley. He understands the history of the program and just how competitive the Tigers have matched up defensively against some of the other top programs in the country.
“Being able to play early in a system that I know they can win and I know that they’re gonna develop well,” Bradley said, “I mean that just adds on a bunch to everything else on top of that.”
As far as his recruitment is concerned, Bradley indicated that he’s right where he was before. He released a top-10 in March that included Clemson, Texas A&M, Auburn, LSU, Florida State, Miami, Oregon, Southern Cal, Tennessee and Washington.
He’s only taken a couple of visits since then and he admitted that those visits clearly weren’t enough for him to be ready to decide what he’s going to do with the rest of his life. This upcoming weekend, Bradley will make an unofficial visit to the University of Tennessee.
Being able to see schools and other places around the country is going to be a really big thing for Bradley and his recruitment going forward. It’ll allow him to evaluate how he’s going to take this process.
With that said, what are some of the more important factors that Bradley is looking for in a school at the next level?
“I’ve been a very big advocate for this because of people that I know in the past and everything with mental health issues and stuff,” Bradley said. “I want to be able to make sure that I feel at home at a place that I’m at, just because I know how big a home feeling will play on a person’s mental health.”
A school’s graphic design program will also be a big factor for Bradley as well.
“It’s going to be a huge thing for me because I know that’s what I want to do with the rest of my life,” he continued. “I want to do not just graphic design, but I want to do sports media as a whole. I’m already into doing graphic design, videography and photography. Being able to further my career will be a big play for me.”
The hope is that he’ll be able to see those things when he visits Clemson in two weeks.
In addition to Clemson, Bradley will be visiting the University of South Carolina on June 8. He’s also looking to pay Southern Cal a visit sometime this summer.
Bradley (6-6, 215) currently ranks as the No. 4 edge rusher and the nation’s No. 29 overall prospect for the class of 2023, per the 247Sports Composite rankings.
— Photo for this article courtesy of @chandavian23 on Twitter.
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