Among the commitments in Clemson’s 2023 recruiting class who were on hand for Monday’s All In Cookout was Rockwall (Texas) High School four-star wide receiver Noble Johnson.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound rising senior had a blast at the Tigers’ signature summer recruiting event, and so did the family members who accompanied him.
When Johnson traveled to Clemson for the Dabo Swinney Camp in June, his father and two younger brothers came with him. This time around, Johnson’s mother and older sister made the trek from Texas to Tiger Town and got a taste of what Clemson is like during the cookout.
“I enjoyed it a lot,” Johnson told The Clemson Insider. “The first visit, I went with my dad and my two younger brothers, but my sister and my mom couldn’t go. But for the cookout, I took my mom and my sister, and they had an amazing experience. My mom fell in love with it. My sister loves it. She runs track. She’s going to a DII school in Oklahoma right now, and she was talking about how she wants to go to Clemson when she gets better at long jump and everything and try to run track for Clemson. But it was overall a great experience.”
The cookout itinerary included a Wiffle Ball home run derby, dodgeball, and trivia, and the recruits donned the purple jerseys for a three-hour photoshoot – which Johnson cited as the highlight of the cookout for him personally.
“For me, it was seeing everyone smile during the pictures,” he said. “But for others, the Wiffle Ball game, that was crazy fun. Playing dodgeball, that was super fun, seeing all the ‘old men,’ the coaches in their 50s moving around, doing some crazy athletic stuff. That was really funny. And then just talking, just having a great time with the coaches and just seeing everyone talk, that was really cool.”
Speaking of the coaches, members of the Tigers’ defensive staff joked that they want to have Johnson and his talent on defense, but Clemson wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham isn’t going to let it happen.
“Coach Grisham was talking about how the other coaches, defensive coaches, want me to go and make the switch to play on the defensive side of the ball,” Johnson said, “And Coach Grisham was like, ‘Nah, he’s going to be a receiver obviously.’ So, that was pretty funny.”
“But overall, we saw baby pictures of the coaches, like Coach Swinney, Coach Grisham,” Johnson continued. “I found out some stuff that was actually pretty funny about them both. It was nice.”
The All In Cookout gave Johnson a chance to continue building his relationships with not only the coaching staff, but also his fellow commits.
Johnson feels his bond with the coaches has been growing stronger, and he’s hit it off with the other future Tigers in Clemson’s 2023 class as well.
“My relationship with the coaches, it’s getting better,” he said. “We talk almost every day. We talk maybe five times a week. I talk every day with the commits. We have a group chat on Instagram, and everyone’s just getting along, everyone’s meshing together pretty well. We’re all finding similarities in each other, and we’re just going off of that.”
“They’re crazy funny,” Johnson added of his fellow commits. “The group chat is always blowing up. Everyone’s always typing… I love everyone that’s committed.”
As for the pair of uncommitted prospects who attended the cookout – Milton (Alpharetta, Ga.) four-star safety Robert Billings and Stockbridge (Ga.) three-star cornerback Shelton Lewis – Johnson would love to see them jump on board with Clemson but believes the Tigers are in good shape regardless of whether they join the 2023 class.
“Hopefully we get them,” he said. “But at the same time, even if we don’t get them, say they choose another school, I feel like we’re still going to be set.”
Johnson earned an offer from Clemson after working out at the Swinney Camp on June 2 and then announced his commitment to the Tigers just nine days later.
As a junior, Johnson recorded 49 receptions for 875 yards and eight receiving touchdowns for Rockwall. The 2023 Under Armour All-America Game commitment is rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN, Rivals and the 247Sports Composite, and ranked as high as the No. 240 overall prospect in the 2023 class by Rivals.
According to Johnson, the Tigers plan to deploy him at the boundary receiver position.
“I’m going to be a boundary receiver, so I’m going to be working the short side of the field,” he said. “So wherever the ball is, I’m going to be on the short side of the field. So, just a boundary receiver.”
Overall, Johnson’s experience at Monday’s All In Cookout made him feel even better about his decision to be a Tiger.
“Oh yeah, most definitely,” he said. “It was just another trip back home. I’m excited I’m going to be there for the next four years.”
When might Johnson make another trip from the Lone Star State back to his future college home?
“I know I’m going to be back for a few of the games,” he said. “I don’t know when I’m going to take my official because Clemson still hasn’t scheduled their official visits yet, but hopefully I can get it in before December. That’s what they’re aiming for I believe.”
