The Clemson Insider recently caught back up with one of Clemson’s foremost safety targets in the 2023 recruiting class.
The Tigers and co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Mickey Conn specifically, keep reinforcing to Alpharetta (Ga.) three-star Bryce Thornton that he is a priority for Clemson, as far as rising seniors go.
“I just text Coach Conn a lot,” Thornton said. “He texts me almost every other day. I feel like our relationship has been the same — it’s been great. Coach Conn is a very chill guy.”
Conn isn’t the only coach from Clemson that’s been in contact with Thornton, as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Wesley Goodwin has also played a part in the Peach State safety’s recruitment.
“It’s been a very good relationship,” he said, “the same as Coach Conn. He texts me like every other week. It’s a good relationship between me and him.”
Alpharetta will start spring practice come May 1, and Conn and Goodwin will almost certainly be down there to check out not only Thornton but his teammates and counterparts in the secondary in Robert Billings and Brayden Holmes.
As far as Thornton’s recruitment is concerned, he’s planning on dropping a top-five schools list come Saturday, April 24. He’s currently in the process of winding his options down. That doesn’t mean he’s closer to a commitment per se, but he’s closing in on a group of finalists that he wants to focus on from here on out.
While not wanting to reveal his intentions, we asked Thornton if Clemson will make the cut.
“It’s a chance they’ll be in there,” he said.
When asked directly, he said that the Tigers are currently standing high in his recruitment. If Clemson were to be among his final schools, Thornton said that Clemson’s family atmosphere would certainly play a part as to why.
Since he was last at Clemson, Thornton did a tour of schools with his 7-on-7 team. He visited Florida, UCF, FAMU and Florida State. Thornton has also made his way back to the University of Florida, as well as trips to LSU and Miami, which came on Thursday, April 14.
Thornton says that Alabama and Florida are the two schools that are currently recruiting him the hardest.
Clemson is certainly up there as well, though Thornton is unsure when he’ll make his way to Tiger Town next. He imagines it could possibly be this summer, which could bode well for Clemson’s chances at being a player in his recruitment down the road.
— Photo for this article courtesy of Bryce Thornton
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