Recently, Robbie Caldwell stopped by the high school of a highly-touted offensive tackle from the state of Georgia. Caldwell was at Denmark High School (Alpharetta, Ga.) to see 2023 four-star offensive tackle Shamurad Umarov.
“First off, he started off saying that Clemson doesn’t offer early, so he wanted to get to know me and know my grades, my education, my lifestyle, just how I am as a person,” Umarov told The Clemson Insider.
“I think that means a lot,” he added. “If they say that to me first off, before they even offer me and talk to me in general, I think that means a lot to me because they’re showing that they genuinely want to get to know me as a person and they don’t just want me for their program and just to get them wins.”
Since TCI spoke with Umarov last week, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney announced that the longtime offensive line coach would be retiring from his current role and transitioning into an off-field role with the program as director of high school relations.
While it’s unclear whether Umarov knew of Caldwell’s future plans, Clemson’s succession plan was in action with his recruitment. After Caldwell visited his high school, Umarov heard from Thomas Austin — Clemson’s newly minted offensive line coach — on Twitter. The two have been exchanging messages since then.
Austin will ask Umarov questions about his day, how his season went and what he thought his team did well this season. He also asked for him to send over his film, which he did.
Speaking of that, how does Umarov think he performed across his junior campaign?
“I definitely think I improved,” he said. “My sophomore year, that was my first year in varsity, so I got to see how people played and how everything was different from middle school and freshman ball. And then this season, I definitely just got to get better at my technique and my game.”
Umarov started at left tackle for his first full season of Varsity.
As far as his recruitment is concerned, Umarov is keeping his options open. Being committed before his senior campaign is an intriguing option as he embarks on his final season of high school football, but he also just wants to play it through. At the end of the day, it’ll just have to be a feel thing.
What are some of the factors that Umarov is looking for in a school at the next level?
“Looking for the proximity to my home,” he said. “I like a more homey feel, like a mix of nature and city, like a town where everyone knows each other and if you wanna get a quick bite from somewhere, you know who to ask and you know where to go right away. And it just feels like home.”
Umarov (6-6, 290) ranks as the No. 15 offensive tackle and No. 188 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, according to 247Sports’ rankings.
He has an impressive list of Power 5 offers from schools like Florida, Florida State, Indiana, Louisville, Michigan State, Mizzou, N.C. State, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Purdue, Tennessee, UCF, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
He’d love the chance to make it up to Clemson sometime in the near future.
“If they invited me, I’d definitely go,” he said. “It’s so close to me. The school’s cool. I like it! That’s all I’m gonna say. I like it!”
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