A talented defensive back prospect from Georgia visited Clemson on Monday and left campus with an offer in hand.
Milton (Alpharetta, Ga.) 2023 three-star safety Bryce Thornton was among the recruits on campus for the Tigers on Monday and took in Clemson’s fourth spring practice to date, as well as a tour of the facilities.
“I had a great visit,” he told The Clemson Insider in an exclusive phone interview. “I went around there pretty early so they could show me around. I hung out with Coach (Mickey) Conn a lot. I went to meetings, just to see how they did some of their defensive sets. I just toured around Clemson. I watched their practice too.”
At the end of Monday’s practice, Conn and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney came up to Thornton and told him he had an offer.
“It means a lot for them to tell me that I have an offer,” Thornton said. “It’s been one I’ve been waiting on for a minute too, so it means a lot. I was just smiling. I was just very excited when they told me.”
While he’s still in the process of evaluating things, Thornton considers Clemson to be a top school in his recruitment, especially after Monday’s offer.
A lot of that has to do with his relationship with Clemson’s co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach, with who he got to spend a lot of time on Monday.
“Coach Conn is a very good coach, from what I had seen,” Thornton said. “He’s a very chill, funny person. He’s just fun to be around. The way he coaches his players, I feel like he does a good job.”
According to Thornton, Conn told him that he loved his game and that he loves that he’s versatile and can play either safety or nickel.
Thornton became the second junior safety out of Milton to be offered by Clemson in a 48-hour span. Three-star Robert Billings, who is close friends and teammates with Thornton, announced his offer from the Tigers on Saturday.
Billings was on campus this past weekend for Clemson’s Junior Day, while Thornton was visiting the University of Alabama for the Crimson Tide’s junior day.
Thornton agreed that the Tigers helped themselves this weekend — as far as his recruitment is concerned — and that they certainly were able to further put things into perspective for him.
Alabama also offered Thornton this past weekend during his visit. This year alone, he has brought in offers from Pittsburgh, Texas, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi State, Maryland, Florida, Auburn, LSU and others.
Bryce’s dad, Bruce, played college football at the University of Georgia in the early 2000s and was later selected in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Bryce’s older brother, also named Bruce, is a 2022 Ohio State basketball commit.
–Photo for this article courtesy of @Brycethornton_2 on Twitter
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