In his words, the recruiting process has “absolutely been crazy” for this talented tight end prospect since the calendar turned to September.
Benedictine High School (Richmond, Va.) standout Luca Puccinelli told The Clemson Insider that more than 35 schools – including many in the ACC, SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 – reached out to him in less than 24 hours after the clock struck midnight on Sept. 1, when college coaches could begin directly contacting juniors in the class of 2024 like himself.
Puccinelli calls it “a blessing to have so many schools with interest,” and says he’s “open doors with all schools.”
“I’m interested in everyone that’s interested in me,” he added. “From Dartmouth to Penn State to JMU to South Carolina. I love the interest and I enjoy build relationships! Right now, we are very much in the introduction stages with everyone. Some schools I have developed strong relationships with already such as (Virginia) Tech, Maryland, Duke, USC, Michigan, Penn State, but I know this is a process.”
Puccinelli currently holds offers from South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Duke, Maryland, East Carolina, UConn, Old Dominion and Liberty.
Clemson has shown interest in the 6-foot-6, 235-pounder, and he was invited to participate in the Dabo Swinney Camp this summer by tight ends coach/passing game coordinator Kyle Richardson.
It marked the second straight year that Puccinelli has camped at Clemson, and despite not being at 100 percent, he feels he showed the Tigers what he has to offer as a tight end.
“I had a great camp when I was in town,” he said. “I had a pulled groin most of June but I still felt like I performed well this summer. I think they know what I can do for them.”
So far, only one uncommitted tight end in the 2024 class owns an offer from Clemson in Marian Central Catholic (Woodstock, Ill.) four-star Christian Bentancur.
But Puccinelli is high on Swinney’s program, and an offer from the Tigers would undoubtedly have a big impact on his recruitment if he were to receive one in the future.
“Clemson has a top-five program, and their school and facility are top notch,” he said. “I’d be very blessed and humbled to receive an offer from the Tigers. Certainly that would be huge for me and my family.”
Right now, Puccinelli is simply enjoying the recruiting process and planning to check out schools that have offered him, as he looks to find the place that can best set him up for success in college and beyond.
“Certainly as the year goes on I’ll be taking visits where I have offers,” he said, “and trying to finalize a list of schools I feel would be best for myself and family for the next 50 years.”
— Photo for this article courtesy of Irish Sports Daily.
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