This Monday, Clemson played host to one of its top defensive tackle targets in the 2023 recruiting class.
Grimsley’s (Greensboro, N.C.) four-star Jamaal Jarrett made his way to Tiger Town for an unofficial visit. He’s been aiming to visit Clemson, so he could earn a scholarship offer from the coaching staff, which he did Monday.
“It was awesome,” Jarrett told The Clemson Insider. “The campus was beautiful. I was able to meet with and sit down with the coaches. I got to meet some of the players like Payton Page, Bryan Bresee and some others. It was great.”
While on campus, Jarrett got some big news.
During a conversation with Dabo Swinney, Clemson’s head coach informed the highly touted defensive tackle that the Tigers were extending a scholarship offer to him.
“It was just crazy,” he said. “I was just shaking and everything, I was like ‘Oh my God, I’m at Clemson.’ It was awesome, just a great experience.”
What stood out about Clemson the most to Jarrett?
“I like how they treat their school like an SEC program,” Jarrett said. “Just Dabo Swinney himself and all the other coaches. I even talked to a player too. It was just awesome. Their standards there are set really high. Anything and everything they do, they do it at 100%. The way they do everything over there as far as academics, it’s great, man. They support my two majors as well. It was really great just knowing that and that they’re not just football players, but scholar-athletes as well. It was a great visit.”
Jarrett has seen his relationship grow with defensive tackles coach Nick Eason and defensive coordinator Wesley Goodwin. They have prioritized him since joining Clemson’s staff and want a player like him to join them in Death Valley.
“They were like they want a big guy like me that can move,” he said. “They’ve seen my track videos and stuff. They love how I run and how I move. They really just want me to get back up there for another visit and probably see a game or two. They were talking about my position and giving me tips on my position. I was also watching the defensive linemen work out in the weight room.”
If Jarrett were to drop a top schools list — which he plans on doing May 1 — Clemson would be in it. He’s winding things down in his recruitment, so he’s in the process of knocking some schools off of his list. With that said, Jarrett is in no rush to make a decision. He’s torn between wanting to make a decision prior to his senior season or waiting until after, so he can make some game day visits.
Time will tell, but the Tigers have seemingly solidified a spot in his recruitment until the very end.
— Photo for this article courtesy of @JamaalJarrett on Twitter
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