A big local lineman with a couple of Clemson connections made his way to campus for an unofficial visit last month.
Greenville (S.C.) High School offensive/defensive lineman Julius Tate – a 6-foot-4, 310-pound sophomore in the 2024 class – visited Clemson to tour the facilities and take in a spring practice on Saturday, March 12.
“When I visited Clemson, I had an amazing time meeting the coaches and seeing the facilities,” Tate told The Clemson Insider. “But when going there, I watched the practice and it stood out the most with the offensive line, seeing how physical everybody was on drills trying to improve one another.”
While on campus, Tate had the chance to talk with offensive line coach Thomas Austin.
“When talking I learned about the drills they did for improving techniques on the field,” he said of his conversation with Austin. “I don’t exactly know Clemson’s interest, but I felt like family there.”
Tate is a former teammate of two Clemson freshmen football players – offensive lineman Collin Sadler and tight end Josh Sapp, both of whom played at Greenville High. Sadler enrolled at Clemson in January, while Sapp will enroll this summer.
“Collin and Josh are like brothers in the weight room and on the field,” Tate said of his relationship with them. “They always pushed me to be a better player, and I was Collin’s weightlifting partner in which he helped me increase my strength like no one else.”
Tate would be thrilled to receive an offer from the Tigers one day, even if his former teammates weren’t playing there.
But having the opportunity to suit up with Sadler and Sapp in a Clemson uniform would make an offer from the program even more special for the local lineman.
“Getting an offer from Clemson would be a blessing considering it’s local, close to family, and a great program on and off the field,” Tate said.
“Getting an offer from Clemson would be awesome because I have two teammates there … and playing with my former teammates would be awesome,” he added.
Tate attended Coastal Carolina’s spring game on March 3 and plans to visit Florida for its April 14 spring game. Along with Clemson, Georgia is another school that has shown interest and invited him to visit. He went to Athens last November for a game at UGA.
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