This rising junior wide receiver from the Peach State on Clemson’s recruiting radar returned to campus a couple of weeks ago to participate in Dabo Swinney’s high school football camp.
Johns Creek (Ga.) High School’s Kyle Vaka, a 6-foot, 170-pound prospect in the class of 2024, competed during the second day of the Swinney Camp on June 2.
“I really enjoyed Coach Swinney’s camp,” Vaka told The Clemson Insider. “I worked very hard this offseason to get to that point, and it was a great time. I got to get a lot of work in with some of the top receivers in my grade and in the country in that receiver group with (wide receivers) coach (Tyler) Grisham. So, it was a really good time and it was good work.”
Vaka feels he showed well at the Swinney Camp, and he got positive feedback about his performance from Grisham, who told Vaka that he wants him to keep staying in touch and camp at Clemson again next summer as Grisham continues to evaluate him.
“I’m a 2024, I’m a younger guy, and Coach Grisham, that was just what he was relaying to me – I’m a 2024, he’s evaluating me, I’ve got two years to grow and develop, and he liked what he saw,” Vaka said. “I’m going to continue to get back up to camp, I’m going to continue to get back up to Clemson and build that relationship and just keep working and getting better.”
Vaka also had a chance to chat with Swinney after camp.
“He liked what he saw out of me,” Vaka said of Clemson’s head coach, “because he did work with our group a bunch, our top receiver group, and it was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed Coach Swinney and his coaching.”
This year marked Vaka’s second time camping at Clemson, as he also camped last summer going into his sophomore year.
Prior to attending this year’s camp, Vaka made an unofficial visit to Tiger Town for the spring game in April.
“It was an awesome experience,” he said of the spring game visit. “I had a really good time.”
To say Vaka has been impressed by his experiences at Clemson around Swinney’s program might be an understatement.
“Clemson’s just a different breed, man,” he said. “There’s something different about Clemson and the culture there and what Coach Swinney has built since he got there. The best is the standard. Everybody there is ‘All In,’ and Coach Swinney, everything he’s built, all the players, they’ve bought in to him. It’s a winning program, and you can see why because everybody’s bought in and everybody’s ‘All In’ on Coach Swinney.”
Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Georgia Tech are other schools showing interest in Vaka, who said receiving an offer from Clemson in the future and having the opportunity to suit up for Swinney and the Tigers one day “would mean the world” to him.
“It would definitely be a special moment,” he added, “and I’d be very grateful and very blessed for that moment, and it would be special.”
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