Clemson received its 20th total commitment in the 2023 recruiting class when Buckingham Browne & Nichols School (Massachusetts) four-star Ronan Hanafin verbally pledged to Dabo Swinney’s program on Sunday evening.
It comes on the heels of Stockbridge (Georgia) three-star defensive back Shelton Lewis committing to Clemson earlier in the week. Unbeknownst to some, Hanafin and Lewis weren’t the only prospects to pledge to Clemson this month.
Piedmont (S.C.) Wren High’s Jake Norris — a 6-foot-3, 265-pound offensive lineman in the class of 2023 — announced his commitment to the Tigers via social media on Aug. 2. He will be headed to Tiger Town as a preferred walk-on.
Norris recently spoke with The Clemson Insider regarding his decision to commit to Clemson and shut down his recruitment ahead of what should be a major senior season.
“I’ve been a Clemson fan my whole life,” Norris said. “It’s really always been a goal and to finally be able to pursue the dream I’ve always had to play for your favorite college team is something I’ve been really looking forward to doing ever since the PWO.”
“It’s the route I want to take and I’m looking forward to playing at Clemson,” he added.
Norris phoned Clemson coach Dabo Swinney before making his decision public.
“I received a positive reaction for sure,” Norris said.
Once he arrives on campus next summer, Norris is pretty certain that he’ll be either a guard or center under offensive line coach Thomas Austin. Norris acknowledged that getting a chance to play for Austin is an opportunity that not many people get. He said that he was “beyond honored” to have a coach like Austin and get to learn from the best there is
“Just keep working as hard as I possibly can and keep doing everything to the best of my ability really,” Norris said.
Norris was welcomed with open arms by Clemson fans and players alike. He’s close friends with freshman offensive lineman Collin Sadler, who Norris said was “very excited” about his decision. The type of reaction Norris received made him feel very good about going to play at Clemson going forward.
While Norris’ senior season is going to be a big one, he wanted to shut down his recruitment because he wanted to have his mind set on something. Norris wants to go as far as he can with his high school. He’s not slowing down for anything — he wants to win a state championship.
“Just being able to go ahead and have something decided just makes it a little easier for that,” he said regarding his decision.
Norris also indicated that he will be at as many Clemson home games as possible this season.
— Photo for this article courtesy of @Jake_Norris55 on Twitter.
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 as 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.
