The No. 1 prospect in the Palmetto State for the 2024 class, per 247Sports, and one of the nation’s top-ranked offensive tackles is Dillon (S.C.) High School four-star Josiah Thompson.
Thompson – the No. 4 offensive tackle in the country for the 2024 class, according to 247Sports – made an unofficial visit to Clemson on March 12 and was recently back in touch with new Tigers offensive line coach Thomas Austin.
“I have spoken to Coach Thomas Austin this past Thursday,” Thompson told The Clemson Insider. “He asked how things were going and if I’m planning on coming to one of their camps this summer. I told him I’m planning on attending one of their camps this summer.”
Thompson (6-7, 290) is excited to participate in the Dabo Swinney Camp this June and hopes to put a couple of his characteristics as an offensive lineman on display when he works out with Austin at the camp.
“I’m looking forward to it a lot, plus to be coached by Coach Austin,” he said. “I want to show him I’m coachable and able to move my body very well.”
Thompson camped at Clemson last summer when Robbie Caldwell was still the Tigers’ offensive line coach.
“Coach Caldwell was able to coach me through a drill,” Thompson recalled. “He loved the way I was able to bend and stay low and have a good base.”
When Thompson reflects on his most recent trip to Clemson last month, one thing about the visit experience stands out to him more than anything else.
“What stuck out most to me on my visit to Clemson in March was the coaching staff,” he said. “I loved the way my family and I were able to talk to Coach Austin with his family during the visit.”
Based on what he’s heard from Austin and Clemson’s staff, Thompson feels like an offer from Clemson is coming in the future and he’ll have the chance to suit up for the Tigers down the road.
“I have the opportunity of playing for Clemson Football one day,” he said. “Based on my relationship with Coach Austin, he would love to coach me as a football player.”
UNC Charlotte gave Thompson his latest offer on Monday, joining South Carolina, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, Florida State, NC State, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Coastal Carolina and East Carolina on his current offer list.
Right now, Thompson says “everything is still pretty wide open” in his recruitment.
Clemson has yet to offer any offensive linemen in the 2024 class, as the Tigers typically don’t start offering prospects until the summer before their junior year. But where would Thompson say the Tigers stand with him at this point in the recruiting process?
“Clemson is another school I would love to play for,” he said. “I love how the facility works and how committed the coaches are to their jobs.”
Thompson is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 1 prospect in the state of South Carolina, No. 4 offensive tackle nationally and No. 99 overall prospect in the 2024 class.
In addition to Clemson, he has visited Miami, South Carolina, Coastal Carolina and East Carolina this year.
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