A talented O-line prospect with a tie to Clemson was back on campus last weekend for the Boston College game.
Pendleton (S.C.) High School 2023 offensive tackle Aidan Leigh – the younger brother of former five-star recruit and current Clemson freshman offensive lineman Tristan Leigh – attended the Tigers’ 19-13 victory over the Eagles on Saturday.
The Clemson Insider caught up with Aidan, who loved taking in the atmosphere of a night game at Death Valley.
“It was crazy,” he said. “It was loud and crazy.”
Aidan was also at Clemson’s home game against Georgia Tech on Sept. 18, as well as the season opener against Georgia in Charlotte on Sept. 4, but this past Saturday marked Aidan’s first time attending a game at Death Valley this season as a recruit on an unofficial visit.
“I enjoyed it a lot, especially like the community,” he said. “It was loud, and the game itself was really good, too.”
Getting to be on the field before kickoff to watch the Tigers get ready for the game was one of the highlights of the day for Aidan.
“When you’re on the field during warmups, you really get to see all the players,” he said, “and you kind of see a different perspective of what it looks like being on the field.”
Aidan had the chance to work with Clemson offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell at the Dabo Swinney Camp this past summer, and the two were able to catch up again last Saturday.
Caldwell let the 6-foot-6, 290-pound junior know that he is keeping tabs on him.
“He said he’s been watching my film and to keep on doing good,” Aidan said. “I really like talking to him because he’s always 100 with me, and he says that he sees a lot of potential in me.”
“One, he likes my length, and he likes my feet, how fast my feet are,” Aidan added.
Aidan said he and Caldwell have developed a close relationship over time.
“I think it’s really tight,” Aidan said. “It got pretty tight when he was recruiting my brother, so when I see him it’s always all love.”
Speaking of Tristan, he is having a great experience as a student-athlete at Clemson so far during his freshman year, according to Aidan.
“He loves it. He loves it so much,” Aidan said. “He just likes how it’s like a family. They treat you really good there. They make sure you’re all mentally OK and physically OK.”
Aidan currently lists offers from Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Maryland, and figures to see more offers come his way moving forward. Right now, he is in no rush to make his college decision and wants to take more visits and explore all his options before rendering a commitment.
“I’m still trying to figure it out and kind of see all my possibilities and all the different places,” he said, “because I really want to see it in person before I make a big decision.”
Receiving an offer from Clemson in the future and having the opportunity to follow in his brother’s footsteps as a Tiger would be a dream come true for Aidan, who had the opportunity to play with Tristan at Robinson Secondary School (Fairfax, Va.) last season when Aidan was a sophomore and Tristan was a senior.
After Tristan committed to Clemson, his family decided to move to the area with him, so Aidan is now playing at Pendleton High.
“It would be crazy, having that chance,” Aidan said of possibly teaming up with Tristan again at Clemson. “Because last year me and my brother got to play together, and it was the most fun year of football I’ve ever had. So, I think it 100 percent would be insanely crazy.”
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