The Clemson Insider has the latest on a priority offensive lineman target in the 2023 recruiting class, who received a visit from Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and offensive line coach Thomas Austin Wednesday.
Clemson stopped by Reagan High School (Pfafftown, N.C.), home to four-star offensive tackle Sam Pendleton.
Honored to have HC Dabo Swinney and @Coach__TA from @ClemsonFB in Pfafftown today!!! pic.twitter.com/WWLo2xrnlx
— Reagan Raiders FB (@RaidersFB) January 27, 2022
We caught up with Pendleton to get his thoughts ahead of his visit to Clemson this weekend for the program’s elite junior day.
“It was really cool,” Pendleton said. “Coach Dabo texted me after he left, actually, and told me that he really enjoyed talking to my coaches and the staff there and that he’s looking forward to getting me down there this weekend to talk more.”
That goes a long way for Pendleton and truly means a lot to him and his high school.
“No one knew about Reagan six months ago,” he added. “It means a lot to me. It means a lot to my coaches. I know that he took his time, especially you know he could be home coaching or home with his family, but he took his time to come up here. Especially with Coach Austin to see me, to see my mom, my little brother and to see my coaches.”
Pendleton continues to build a close bond with Austin, who held up his end of the bargain and made his way down to Reagan this week.
Obviously, Pendleton has become a priority target for Clemson in the 2023 recruiting class. He was one of the first prospects that Austin reached out to after he got elevated to his new position and has kept hard after him ever since.
What has Pendleton heard from Austin recently?
“He wants me to make me a part of the Clemson family and he wants me to be a leader in this class coming in,” he said, “and he’s just super excited about getting me on campus this weekend.”
Clemson sent Pendleton an itinerary for this weekend’s festivities and he indicated that junior day will be about being around the coaches and getting some face-to-face time that they wouldn’t normally get. They’ll get some time to talk about things that Pendleton may want to talk about and do things he didn’t get to do at camp.
In any event, Pendleton is “super pumped” for this weekend’s events.
Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!