Among the prospects who picked up an offer from Clemson on Wednesday, June 1, when the Tigers began dishing out offers to class of 2024 recruits, was an elite defensive back from the Yellowhammer State – Pinson (Ala.) Clay-Chalkville four-star cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe.
The 6-foot, 170-pound rising junior – ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the state of Alabama, No. 3 cornerback nationally and No. 8 overall prospect for the 2024 class, per 247Sports – reacted to the big offer from the Tigers in an interview with The Clemson Insider shortly after reporting the offer via social media Wednesday night.
“They obviously don’t offer 2024s until now,” Mbakwe told TCI. “So to get it on the first day, it feels great.”
Mbakwe was informed of the offer during a conversation with cornerbacks coach Mike Reed.
“Me and Coach Reed talked,” Mbakwe said. “He’s been following me for two years now, so we talked. Him and my family talked, and he was just telling me that Christmas came early for me, and he just offered me.”
Mbakwe checks the boxes that Reed and the Tigers look for, both as a football player and a person.
“He was just telling me that I’m great on and off the field, I’m a great individual, have great character, I’m a ballplayer obviously,” Mbakwe said.
Mbakwe participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp last summer, and he returned to campus for a visit earlier this year in April.
“That visit was great,” he said. “They’re building new facilities, it’s great. They’ve got facilities for former players so they can come back and work out and have their own locker room and stuff like that. Their facilities are great. They’re still building more things, but I feel like once they get done with it, it’ll be great.”
Mbakwe told TCI that he might make it back to Clemson for another visit next Saturday (June 11).
The Tigers joined Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Southern Cal, Tennessee, Texas A&M and many others on Mbakwe’s list of more than two dozen total offers.
Mbakwe said his recruitment is “still pretty wide open right now,” and he “probably won’t make a decision till next year, the start of my senior season.”
Where do the Tigers stand with him right now after pulling the trigger on an offer?
“I’m very interested in it (Clemson) because they compete for a national championship every year,” he said. “They’ve got a great reputation of putting out DBs, smart coaches. So, I’m very interested.”
As a sophomore last season, Mbakwe helped Clay-Chalkville to a 15-0 record and a state championship.
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