Clemson has landed the commitment of its first defensive prospect in the class of 2023 and a prized pass-rusher at that.
On Wednesday evening, St. John’s College (Washington, D.C.) four-star edge rusher David Ojiegbe committed to Clemson over schools like Maryland, Miami, Michigan and North Carolina.
Ojiegbe is the fourth prospect to verbally pledge to Clemson in the class of 2023, joining Edison (Miami, Fla.) four-star wide receiver Ray-Ray Joseph, Briarwood Christian (Alabama) four-star quarterback Christopher Vizzina and Bridgeland (Texas) four-star tight end Reid Mikeska.
He’s also the first defensive player to commit to Clemson in this class.
Following the departure of Brent Venables and Todd Bates to the University of Oklahoma, Ojiegbe was able to rekindle his relationship with Lemanski Hall. Clemson’s defensive ends coach first got in contact with Ojiegbe when he was a sophomore, but their conversations were few and far between.
“It’s crazy how things change and just the relationships you are able to build in a short amount of time,” Ojiegbe said.
In just a matter of weeks, Ojiegbe was on campus for Clemson’s second junior day of the season and received a scholarship offer from Hall.
“It means a lot,” Ojiegbe told The Clemson Insider shortly after picking up an offer from the Tigers. “It feels pretty good that they think I’m part of the guys that can play there. It felt pretty good getting that offer.”
While he was on campus, he had a chance to have some in-depth conversations with Clemson’s defensive ends coach. He was able to pick Hall’s brain and receive some good knowledge. He also talked with Hall about his coaching style, what he expects, the transition from high school to college and what else Ojiegbe can work on going forward.
“I definitely like his coaching style,” Ojiegbe said of Hall. “He’s a players’ coach and he’s just for the players too. He just knows his players and cares about his players. I definitely like his style.”
In his conversations with Hall, Clemson’s defensive ends coach has often compared Ojiegbe to a current Tiger in Xavier Thomas.
“I definitely like the way that he plays,” Ojiegbe said. “He’s very aggressive, very physical and very nasty. I like his get off the ball, he’s a big guy, but he’s moving. I look at him like ‘He can go.’”
Ojiegbe returned for the Orange & White Spring Game on April 9, but we made sure to ask him just why Clemson was a top school in his recruitment entering an important visit.
“Just the family environment and just how it’s a small school and Coach Lemanski is a players’ coach,” he said. “I’ve been talking to Coach Wes too and he’s been giving me good vibes, talking about the scheme and everything. He’s a very down-to-earth guy, I like how he coaches. He seems like a player-coach also. I also have my boy down there, Tré Williams, I have a good relationship with him, so I definitely feel like I’d be at home down there. I liked it a lot. I liked Coach Dabo.”
That visit seemed to pay dividends and put the rest of his recruitment in perspective.
There’s a plan in place for Ojiegbe to play early at Clemson, which definitely factored into Wednesday’s decision. He also outlined some of the more important factors that he was looking for in a school at the next level. Needless to say, Clemson checked all those boxes.
“Just being developed as a player and as a man,” Ojiegbe said, “and just what can they do for me after football? Because football’s gonna be over (for me) soon. It’s not that long, the average span of an NFL player or a college football player. I just want to make sure that I’ll be straight after football and have a platform to make money and become a better man, and actually, just have a good major too, so I can sustain myself for the rest of my life.”
This past season, Ojiegbe helped St. John’s capture a championship, while leading them to an 11-0 record. He led the WCAC with 17.5 sacks and was named first-team All-Met. He didn’t get to break the sack record his junior year, but he’s looking to surpass the league record of 19.5 sacks in his senior campaign.
He is ranked as high as the No. 18 edge defender and No. 162 overall prospect in the 2023 class by 247Sports.
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