A standout athlete from the Volunteer State returned to Tiger Town for the Louisana Tech game this past weekend.
Webb School of Knoxville’s Markeis Barrett — a four-star athlete in the class of 2024 who holds SEC offers from programs like Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Arkansas — was back on campus last Saturday after competing at the Dabo Swinney Camp in June.
“It was pretty good. I loved it,” Barrett told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview Monday night. “This time, I felt like they showed more love towards me since now that they’re recruiting me more. The last time, (Barrett was in attendance for Clemson’s win over Florida State on Oct. 30, 2021) I was a little bit younger. Now that I’m a junior, I feel like they showed more love.”
Not only that, but the atmosphere definitely jumped out at Barrett, who feels like he truly got to experience a Clemson gameday this time around. When he visited for the Florida State game last season, there were still limitations on the overall experience due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“The fans stood out to me and the atmosphere was amazing,” Barrett said. “Running down the hill, being up there at the top, that really stood out to me; like the energy was different when they ran out. That stood out to me. The fans was going crazy, everything was just different.”
Beyond the atmosphere, Barrett appreciated having a chance to speak directly with Tyler Grisham before and after the game.
“What I got to hear from him is where I’m at in recruiting,” Barrett said regarding Clemson’s wide receivers coach’s message to him. “He was like, I’m high on their board, but he’s only offered one slot. So, we’ll see. I gotta do my part. I just gotta go get it. Just try to go get the (offer).”
Grisham reached out to Barrett on Sept. 1 and there’s been a lot of direct contact between the two parties. It’s been nearly three weeks and Barrett admitted that his relationship with Clemson’s receivers coach has gotten way better since assistant coaches like Grisham could directly contact prospects in the class of 2024.
It’s fair to say that Clemson’s interest in Barrett is genuine at this point in time.
“It definitely feels pretty good, man,” he said. “It definitely motivates me to keep getting better and also putting more stuff on film, so I could potentially get that offer. That’s a school that I would want to go to. It means a lot to me that they’re recruiting me.”
Barrett also had a chance to speak with the assistant director of football operations, Jody Evans, who he said is the recruiter for his area. Evans, who was Clemson coach Dabo Swinney’s roommate at the University of Alabama, was Barrett’s first contact at Clemson and helped introduce him to Grisham.
“I got a better relationship with both of them now,” he said.
Barrett hopes to see both Grisham and Evans again when he visits for Clemson’s Nov. 12 matchup against Louisville at Memorial Stadium. That’s currently the plan for Barrett, but he also could foresee going to another night game instead.
As far as other gameday visits go, Barrett said that he thinks he’s gonna pay visits to Kentucky, Tennessee, Mizzou, USC, Vanderbilt, Boston College and Arkansas. Before his Clemson visit this past Saturday, Barrett visited both Georgia and Vanderbilt.
Another thing that Barrett mentioned towards the end of his conversation with The Clemson Insider, is that he got a pair of gloves from Will Shipley when the sophomore running back was running out for Saturday’s game.
“He told me to do something special with them,” Barrett recalled.
There’s no question about it. This Friday night, Barrett will be rocking those all-white gloves.
Barrett (6-1, 175) is considered by 247Sports to be the nation’s No. 42 ranked athlete and No. 4 prospect in the 2024 class from the state of Tennessee.
Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce limited edition signed cards from the freshmen football players are now in our online store. There are only 100 of each signed.
Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!
