Clemson is keeping tabs on a fast-rising safety prospect, who will participate in the Dabo Swinney Camp next month. The Clemson Insider recently spoke with Yulee (Fla.) three-star safety Landon Hale following Wesley Goodwin’s visit to his school last week.
“Coach Goodwin actually came by the school, which was super cool,” Hale said. “It meant a lot being as he’s the defensive coordinator stopping by and chatting with my head coach. He’s not allowed to talk with me at all, so we never spoke, but he talked with my head coach a lot. I never got to see him, but I’m just happy that he at least came by and spoke to our head coach about me and a few of our other players.”
According to Hale, Yulee’s head coach, Kyle Doughtery, spoke highly of him to Goodwin, as Clemson’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach tries to find out more information about the intriguing Florida safety.
“He wants to hear from the head coach what type of player I am and my leadership style and those sorts of things,” Hale continued.”
He’ll be up at Clemson from June 10-12 for the three-day overnight camp.
“I really am (looking forward to that) and I think that’s where I’m gonna earn my opportunity for sure,” Hale said. “I’ve been putting in so much work and it’s just a matter of time before it’s gonna show in front of them.”
While Hale wished that Clemson was able to watch his practice, he understands that Goodwin has several stops to make on the recruiting trail during the evaluation period. The fact that he stopped by Yulee is proof to Hale that Clemson is certainly interested in what he brings to the table as a prospective recruit.
“They did such a great job on my visit, I really have no desire to see more of the campus, because we really covered it all,” he continued. “Now, it’s gonna come down to getting to know them more and their certain coaching style because at the end of the day too, I’m evaluating them as well. I already made a decision in my mind, but I’m just up there to work and have them evaluate me and me evaluate them, to see their coaching style and how they handle certain things and stuff like that.”
Hale just wants to see how Goodwin and co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Mickey Conn interact with him in a camp setting.
“I got to look at that a lot when we were up there and I got to sit in the safeties meeting,” Hale said. “So, I got to see Coach Conn and Coach Goodwin go over film critiques and I saw them at practice do their thing. Even though it was an abbreviated practice, I still saw the intensity and a little bit here and there of certain aspects I was looking for. I want to see how personal it is to me and they know I’m coming up there. It’s gonna be awesome.
Hale has already made up his mind about how he feels about Clemson.
If his previous comments are any indication, it’s certainly a school that’s high on his list. Having the opportunity to earn an offer from a school that he holds in high regard is not something Hale takes lightly.
In May alone, Hale has picked up offers from Princeton, Fordham, Yale and Georgia Southern. He has a feeling that more offers will be coming his way shortly, as programs around the country continue to drop by Yulee. Hale estimated that between 20-30 schools have stopped by his high school over the past few weeks.
“Recruitment for me is starting to really pick up, I just got my 12th offer (Tuesday),” he said. “So, it’s just such a blessing. Right now, it’s just so cool and fun to experience. All my hard work is finally paying off and getting noticed.
“It honestly feels surreal, I’m gonna be honest with you. I’ve worked so long for this and this is a result of months and years of work and preparation. What everybody’s seeing right now, it’s only because of how much time we spent training and in the gym training to gain weight and on the field. It’s picking up big time now. It’s just been amazing. I’m talking to so much more schools right now and they’re hitting me up and offers are rolling in, especially from some top-notch Ivy League institutions. It’s just gonna be a lot to think about the next few weeks.”
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