In-state wideout ‘loved’ Swinney Camp, details what sets it apart

An under-the-radar wide receiver prospect that resides right in Clemson’s backyard and is currently waiting for his recruitment to take off, participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp last month. Greenville (S.C.) High School’s Mac McLean – a 6-foot-2, …

An under-the-radar wide receiver prospect that resides right in Clemson’s backyard and is currently waiting for his recruitment to take off, participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp last month.

Greenville (S.C.) High School’s Mac McLean — a 6-foot-2, 190-pound rising junior in the class of 2024 – camped at Clemson on June 2.

“I loved it, to be honest. It was great,” McLean told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview this past Monday. “When we got there, I talked to Coach Grisham and he came to one of our practices during the spring…he said when he came to our practice and watched everybody and he saw me play a little bit and he put me in the purple group. He said after camp that’s why he put me in there.

Clemson separates its campers into different groups usually by grade level and skill level. The orange group is generally the four-and-five-star prospects, while the purple group is considered to be the second-best group, according to McLean.

While Clemson’s wide receivers coach was the main instructor for most of the drills, McLean’s group’s main instructor was Artavis Scott. The former Clemson standout is back in Clemson and on Swinney’s staff in a graduate assistant role.

“After camp, I got to talk to Coach Grisham and Coach Scott,” McLean said. “Coach Grisham, he was really nice. He’s a great dude to talk to. He was telling me that I’m a great player, just keep working and then he told me why he put me in the purple group because he saw me at practice in the spring. I’ll definitely come back to camp next year.”

“They’re both amazing coaches,” McLean added. “Coach Swinney and him told his story, how (Grisham) was a walk-on and played in the NFL and now, he’s coaching at Clemson. If Coach Scott really wanted to, he could be playing professionally right now, but he came back to Clemson to coach. Those two guys are both where everybody at the camp probably wants to be one day. Just learning from them two was a blessing.”

In addition to Clemson, McLean camped at schools like Citadel, Virginia Tech, Wofford and Furman. He also went to the University of South Carolina for a 7-on-7 event with his high school.

After just about every camp he went to, the coaches were intrigued by his prospects, but they want to see what he’s able to put on film during his upcoming junior season. McLean understands that Sept. 1 will be an important date for his recruitment and will allow him to have direct contact with college coaches going forward.

Another takeaway he had from camping at Clemson was just how different Swinney Camp is from the rest.

“I’ve been to six or seven camps this summer and they’re all like the 40-yard dash, shuttle and a bunch of combine stuff,” McLean said. “But, Coach Swinney said at the start that this was a football camp, not an NFL combine. As the camp went on, I really noticed that. The Clemson camp has been the only camp that’s been like that over the summer.”

“I definitely took a lot more away at the Clemson camp than I have at these other camps,” he continued. “I’m not saying anything bad about them, but it was just (more of a learning opportunity).”

WR Hit List currently considers McLean to be a two-star prospect.

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