A junior Peach State wide receiver on Clemson’s recruiting radar, who is very familiar with the school, will be back in Tiger Town to take in some games this fall.
Johns Creek (Ga.) High School’s Kyle Vaka expects to visit Death Valley on more than one occasion during the upcoming season.
“Oh, definitely,” Vaka said to The Clemson Insider recently. “I’ll definitely be up to multiple games this year, with my recruiting with Clemson. Also, my sister goes to Clemson, so gotta get up for a few games, and it’s going to be fun.”
Vaka’s sister would be thrilled to see him follow in her footsteps and attend Clemson, too.
“Oh, she would love to see me be a Tiger one day at Clemson, and she loves Clemson,” he said. “Clemson’s just a special place, and there’s just a special vibe and a special culture at Clemson that you really don’t get anywhere else in the South. It’s a special town with a lot of special people.”
A 6-foot, 170-pound prospect in the class of 2024, Vaka has traveled to Clemson numerous times. He made his way to campus for a couple of games last season, went to the spring game in April and camped at Clemson this summer for the second year in a row, not to mention a couple of other trips he has made to visit his sister.
When he thinks about his experiences at Clemson, there’s plenty that stands out to him, especially how the Tigers prepare their players for life beyond football.
“Clemson just does everything at a very high level, whether it’s football or it’s school or it’s just the campus, the fans. Everything’s just held to a very high standard,” he said. “They treat the recruits, they treat everybody in the facility as family. It’s not all just about football, and that really stood out to me at Clemson was football’s going to be over someday and there’s going to be more to life than football, and they’re really prepared to help players grow into young men and not just football players, because there’s a life after football.”
Regarding where Vaka stands with Clemson at this point in the recruiting process, head coach Dabo Swinney and wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham were straightforward with him at camp in June.
“They were very clear with me,” Vaka said. “They told me they loved how I competed, they loved how coachable I was, and now it’s all about what I can put on tape for my junior year, and that’s what I’ve been working for.”
Along with Clemson, Vanderbilt is another school that has shown substantial interest in Vaka, who camped there as well and has also camped at schools like Furman and Kennesaw State.
What does Vaka feel he can offer college football teams in the future as a wideout?
“I’m a receiver who’s going to be at the right spot at the right time, where the quarterback needs me to be,” he said. “I know my route, I run routes really well, I’m a route technician – that’s what I like to call it. I get in and out of my breaks quickly, and I catch the ball. That’s the most important part – can you catch the ball when it’s thrown to you and can you create separation, and those are two things that I think I do extremely well.”
While he knows it won’t be easy to earn a coveted offer from the Tigers, Vaka is working for that and says he’ll be ready for it, if and when the time comes.
“First, I’ve got a lot of work to do,” he said. “I know I’m going to get bigger, stronger and faster, and study defenses, get my football IQ up. But I’ll be ready for a school like Clemson at this time next year. I’m going to work my tail off and when the call comes, if the call comes, I’ll be ready.”
Come out to support Clemson softball at Dear Old Clemson’s second event which is set for August 27 at the Madren Conference Center. Clemson returns one of the top teams in the nation and adds some new talent to the mix. If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events or purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.
