Ahead of his senior campaign at Riverview (Florida) Sumner High, four-star athlete Kylen Webb wants to make an impact, but he also wants to be healthy.
Webb, who committed to Clemson on June 8, following the program’s official visit weekend, detailed his goals and expectations for his senior campaign. He also touched on last month’s All-In Cookout.
“The cookout was great,” Webb told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview over the weekend. “It was good to get back up with my fellow (future) teammates, really just bond together and see the coaches face-to-face in the facility. Just to be back at Clemson was real good. It’s always good to be up there. I really enjoyed (the Cookout). I brought my family up there — they enjoyed it too. But, it was really just life outside of football and enjoying each other’s company.”
Last month, rumors were circulating on multiple University of Miami message boards that Webb would be visiting Coral Gables at the end of July. Webb took the chance to put those rumors to bed, saying that he did not take a trip to Miami. He informed the coach recruiting him there that he was “good” and that he wasn’t looking anywhere else besides Clemson or doing anything under the table for that matter.
Needless to say, Webb is All-In.
He isn’t the only safety in the class of 2023 that is. Alpharetta (Georgia) Milton High four-star Rob Billings joined Webb as the second safety commit in Clemson’s 2023 recruiting class when he verbally pledged to Dabo Swinney’s program on July 31.
“I’m really happy. I had talked to him and he told me at the cookout that he was gonna commit, so I was really excited,” Webb said of Billings. “I was fortunate to be around him on the OV, but I just spent the cookout around him, getting to know him more. I think it’ll be really good to have another safety up there with me to join the family.”
Webb feels like his and Billings’ skill sets complement each other. According to Webb, Mickey Conn has communicated to him that he’ll play both safety positions and use him on blitzes. Clemson’s safeties coach wants to use Webb, a standout athlete, similar to how he uses sophomore safety Andrew Mukuba.
“I think we both bring something to the table at safety,” Webb said. “Each of us is very athletic. I just like how each coach looks at us and knows that will be contributing to the team and that each of us brings something different to the table, but will both bring an impact to the field.”
Before Webb brings an impact on the field in Tiger Town, he has a senior season to finish out at Sumner High. He was unable to participate in his team’s Jamboree this past Friday and will be held out of Sumner’s first game against Valrico (Florida) Bloomingdale High this Friday, Aug. 26.
Webb has a doctor’s appointment in a week and a half to see how his wrist fracture is healing. If everything goes well, he could be back for the second game of the season against Tampa (Florida) Chamberlain High.
Webb has been nursing a wrist injury since Week 8 of last football season, in either November or December of 202. He knew it was fractured, but opted to play the remainder of the season and underwent surgery in January. A screw was placed in Webb’s wrist, but he suffered a scaphoid fracture, so there’s a slow healing process. Webb ended up getting a second surgery two weeks before the start of school. His doctor’s appointment in the near future will determine if his wrist has healed properly.
Right now, Webb’s main goal for his senior season is to maintain a clean bill of health. He knows that will likely ride on if his fracture has properly healed or not. He just wants to stay healthy and keep working until he gets to Clemson.
“Personal goals — the team really depends on me,” Webb said. “It’s been a big difference not having me back there at safety and also on the offensive side of the ball. It’s been a real impact. We lost two games with me not back there. So, when I get back, I want to be the player that the team depends on and make an impact.”
“Team goals, I actually want to go far in the playoffs,” he continued. “Last year, as a second-year school, we went to the second round of the playoff. I want to go for a longer run this year and hopefully, go for a title.”
Webb said that Clemson wants to see him develop more as a player and continue to have an impact, but the main message to him is that his health is of the most importance, as he’ll be an early enrollee and arrive on campus come January 2023.
He’s in contact with Conn and Wesley Goodwin on a pretty frequent basis. Webb said that they texted him on Saturday morning just to check in on him. They text probably two or three times during the week and try to catch up.
Webb will try to travel to Memorial Stadium for two games this fall. He said that he definitely wants to go to a night game and he thinks that he’ll also likely attend the Miami game on Nov. 19, which Conn has talked up how big of a game that’ll be for the Tigers.
— Photo for this article courtesy of @ky_webb_3 on Instagram.
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