Clemson is set to host multiple official visitors this weekend across different sports.
The Tigers will play host to four prospects, including two legacy recruits in the class of 2022 — Douglas County (Douglasville, Ga.) cornerback Myles Oliver, Vestavia Hills (Birmingham, Ala.) wide receiver Cole Turner and D W Daniel (Central, S.C.) three-star defensive end Jahiem Lawson.
Additionally, North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) three-star forward R.J. Godfrey, who signed with the Tigers back in November, will finally be making his official visit this weekend. At the time of his commitment and eventual signing, Godfrey had only unofficially visited Clemson. Now, he gets to officially be a Tiger for a day before he eventually enrolls and arrives on campus.
It’s worth mentioning that Clemson’s men’s basketball team will host Boston College this Saturday, Jan. 15 at the Littlejohn Coliseum.
Going back to football, Dabo Swinney’s team is still looking to fill out the remainder of its 2022 recruiting class, after only signing 12 players during the Early Signing Period in December. Clemson originally had 16 players verbally committed but lost four commitments in the aftermath of Brent Venables’ departure.
Oliver, according to his head coach at Douglas County, Johnny T. White, is said to be “super excited” for this weekend’s official visit.
The talented, under-the-radar cornerback has seen his recruitment heat up since late December. On Christmas Day, he announced that he would be officially visiting Clemson. He has since picked up an offer from Georgia Tech, which he will officially visit next weekend, and has received additional interest from Indiana, Purdue and Vanderbilt, as well as his offer from Charleston Southern.
Obviously, White is hopeful that the official visit goes well and ends in an offer for Oliver, and he told The Clemson Insider as much.
“Clemson would be a great place because it’s close to home for him,” White said. “Family’s big to him, so that’s not far. But, at the same time, I think it would be beneficial on both sides. I think he’d end up being a great player for Clemson. I know he’d be a standout guy because he’s a great young man. He’s a better young man than he is a football player, to be honest.”
As for the remaining two visitors, both have prior connections to the program. Lawson is the younger brother of former Clemson standout defensive end, Shaq Lawson, who most recently played in the NFL with the New York Jets this past season.
“I think it’s going to be pretty fun,” Jahiem told TCI regarding his upcoming official visit. “I’m looking forward to it. (Looking forward) to meeting the new staff, and honestly putting on the uniforms and trying the uniforms out, looking pretty cool in them.”
Last but not least is Turner, who is the younger brother of longtime Clemson safety, Nolan Turner. Nolan just wrapped his final season at Clemson and has played as many games as anyone in the history of the program. Cole, like his older brother before him, was also under-recruited coming out of high school.
He has since caught the attention of Swinney and Clemson wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham. Which led to him picking up an offer from the Tigers on New Year’s Day.
“They’re super pumped,” Vestavia Hills head coach Sean Calhoun told TCI after Cole received the offer from Clemson. “We’re super excited. It’s great.”
Both Cole and Jahiem hold offers from Clemson, while Oliver is still waiting on his, which could come after this weekend’s festivities. In any event, this weekend is a snapshot of why getting recruits on campus is so important for Clemson.
This weekend is only the beginning, though. The Tigers will have plenty of more visitors in the following two weekends as they attempt to seal more commitments before February’s signing period.
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