The Clemson Insider recently spoke with an elite pass-rusher in the class of 2024, who is drawing interest from Clemson and is planning to make his way to campus within the next month.
Troup County (Lagrange, Ga.) four-star Ja’Qualin “Qua” Birdsong currently ranks as the No. 7 linebacker and the nation’s No. 98 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, per 247Sports.
Birdsong will be visiting Clemson on June 10.
“I haven’t really gotten up there and get the chance to talk to them, but once I get to Clemson and get up there on a visit, I’m a build a real good relationship with the coaches,” Birdsong said.
He’s hoping to further build that relationship once he visits Clemson next month and learn from the likes of Lemanski Hall, as well as some of Clemson’s current players when he participates in the Dabo Swinney Camp come this summer.
“They got some really talented d-ends,” he said. “I believe I can go up there and just learn from them when I get up there.”
Right now, most of the contact being done is through Birdsong’s head coach, Tanner Glisson. Hall, Clemson defensive ends coach, has made numerous stops at Troup County, as the Tigers continue to express in Birdsong, as well as his teammate Noah Dixon.
In fact, Birdsong was supposed to visit Clemson on March 12, along with Dixon. He wasn’t able to make it, as he had some circumstance transpire that prevented him from traveling to Tiger Town.
Dixon really enjoyed the visit and raved to Birdsong about what Clemson had to offer. He talked up the facilities and how Clemson treats its players, making sure that they’re on the right path and focused on their grades. That is something that Birdsong is really looking for in a school at the next level, he said.
Birdsong finished this past season with 74 tackles (24 for loss) and 14 sacks. Birdsong’s performance across his sophomore campaign helped put him on the map, as he currently holds offers from schools like Coastal Carolina, South Alabama, Notre Dame and Mississippi State, as well as offers from Georgia Tech and Ole Miss.
Birdsong mentioned Ole Miss, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Ohio State as the schools currently recruiting him the hardest.
Right now, coaches would like to see the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Birdsong get up to 215. He feels like once that happens, then the offers will start pouring in left and right. Birdsong has been working, eating and trying to put on some weight.
When asked to describe his game, Birdsong says that former University of Oregon standout Kayvon Thibodeaux, who was selected No. 5 overall by the New York Giants in last week’s NFL draft, is who he reminds himself of.
— Photo for this article courtesy of Qua Birdsong.
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