Recruiting Roundup: Tracking Clemson’s coaches on the trail

The Clemson Insider kept track of where Clemson’s coaches traveled to on the recruiting trail this week. So, for the second week in a row, we rounded up the visits we could account for in a recruiting notebook. Here’s a roundup of where Clemson’s …

The Clemson Insider kept track of where Clemson’s coaches traveled to on the recruiting trail this week. So, for the second week in a row, we rounded up the visits we could account for in a recruiting notebook.

Here’s a roundup of where Clemson’s coaches have been on the recruiting trail and which prospects they visited with. Of course, NCAA rules don’t permit direct contact between coaches and recruits in the classes of 2023-25, but Clemson’s coaches did stop by a lot of schools and met with a lot of head coaches and assistants this week.

Dabo Swinney

This past week was probably the most active Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has been on the recruiting trail for quite some time.

On Monday. Swinney was at Coppell (Texas) High School, home to four-star cornerback Braxton Myers, a consensus top-150 national prospect according to the major recruiting services who is ranked as high as the No. 100 overall prospect in the 2023 class, per the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Myers was at the Battle Miami 7-on-7 tournament this past weekend and while Swinney was at his high school, he was on a plane coming back to his native Texas.

“It means a lot to me how he still came, even though he knew I wasn’t gonna be there,” Myers said. “It just means that he cares a lot and wants to know how I am as a person and as a player.”

Swinney stops by school of elite Texas corner, son of former NFL player

Later that afternoon, Swinney stopped by the high school of another elite prospect in Allen (Texas) 2023 five-star defensive lineman David “DJ” Hicks.

Swinney saw a familiar face as the program’s head coach is none other than former Clemson offensive coordinator, Chad Morris.

Swinney pays visit to school of 5-star target

The Tigers stayed in the Lone Star State on Tuesday and Swinney, Clemson offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter and offensive line coach Thomas Austin checked in on an elite offensive lineman, also in the class of 2023.

The trio of Clemson coaches was at Permian High School (Odessa, TX.), home to four-star offensive lineman Harris Sewell, a consensus top-100 national prospect according to major recruiting services, who is ranked as high as the No. 69 overall prospect in the 2023 class, per the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Swinney, Clemson offensive staff check in on big-time Lone Star State OL

Swinney, Streeter and Clemson running backs coach C.J. Spiller also stopped by Parish Episcopal School (Dallas, TX.), which, of course, is home to 2022 three-star priority running back target Andrew Paul.

“Those guys are great,” Parish head coach Daniel Novakov said. “Coach Swinney, I could totally see what everybody sees in him. I love Streeter to death. I’ve known him for several years because of [SMU quarterback] Preston Stone’s recruitment and I obviously have met Spiller. I think the world of all those guys. I think they’re great.”

For the second straight week, Swinney and Austin stopped by Findlay (Oh.) High School, which is home to four-star offensive lineman Luke Montgomery.

Montgomery’s head coach Stefan Adams told us that it shows a lot that Swinney and Austin made their way to see him, even though he won’t be attending Clemson’s Elite Junior Day this weekend. Adams added that he “loves those guys,” in reference to Swinney and Austin.

The pair also made their way to Reagan High School, home to four-star offensive tackle Sam Pendleton, who will be at Clemson’s junior day this weekend.

“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.”

“No one knew about Reagan six months ago. 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.”

On Thursday, Swinney and Clemson defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall stopped by Madhouse Training, which is where Jaquavious “Qua” Russaw trains. The Tigers offered the four-star pass-rusher out of Carver (Montgomery, Ala.) back on Jan. 4.

“Everything was well,” Russaw’s trainer, Tracy Varner, told TCI. “We’ve had a bunch of HC come through over the years. Always good talking ball.”

Last but certainly not least, Swinney stopped by to visit with a five-star prospect on Friday, Warner Robins (Ga.) High School’s Vic Burley.

Burley, who ranks as the No. 6 defensive lineman in the 2023 class according to the 247Sports Composite, will be at Clemson’s junior day this Saturday. He received an offer from the Tigers on June 1. He was on campus last June as well and returned to Tiger Town for the UConn game in November

Brandon Streeter

Clemson’s offensive coordinator made multiple visits that we know of this week.

On Monday, Streeter stopped by Chandler (AZ.) High School, which has recently become the home of a class of 2024 four-star quarterback that he’s been on for a while now.

Dylan, who is the son of former Detroit Lions center Dominic Raiola, ranks the No. 3 quarterback and No. 45 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, per 247Sports.

Streeter stopped by Briarwood Christian (Birmingham, Ala.) 2023 four-star quarterback Christopher Vizzina’s basketball practice Wednesday and was at Blythewood (S.C.) High School on Thursday.

Staying in the Palmetto State Thursday, Streeter also visited Oceanside Collegiate Academy (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.), which is home to a priority four-star offensive tackle target by the name of Monroe Freeling.

Additionally, Streeter stopped by Providence Day (Charlotte, N.C.), which is home to the nation’s No. 1 prospect and quarterback in the class of 2024, Jadyn Davis.

Last but certainly not least, Streeter stooped by Chapin (S.C.) High School to visit with 2024 four-star QB Jayden Bradford.

Thomas Austin

On Monday, Austin stopped by The Loomis Chaffee School (Windsor, CT.), which is home to 2023 four-star offensive tackle Olaus Alinen.

Alinen (6-7, 315) holds over 30 scholarship offers and currently ranks as the No. 12 offensive tackle and No. 125 prospect overall nationally in the 2023 recruiting class, per the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Clemson visits school of big-time offensive lineman Monday

Clemson’s offensive line coach stopped by Naaman Forest High School (Garland, TX.) on Tuesday. He met with the program’s head coach, Jesse Perales, and informed him that Clemson would be recruiting four-star offensive lineman, Markis Deal, who is a consensus top-10 IOL in the 2023 recruiting class.

We caught up with Perales who detailed Austin’s visit to campus and Clemson’s interest in the highly-touted prospect. 

“He’s just an unbelievable person. He’s a great student,” Perales said of Deal. “He’s a great player. He’s a two-way guy, he plays O-line and D-line. He’s a three-sport guy, he’s a football, basketball, track athlete. He’s just a tremendous kid, great student, a great football player with a lot of ceiling, a lot of upsides.”

This was the first time Perales met with Austin.

“He’s a really good guy with a track record,” he said of Austin. “He’s a big boy. He played at Clemson. He’s coaching the O-line there. He’s just really neat to talk to and really down to earth. We had a great conversation.”

“He talked more about the Clemson program. He talked more about Coach Swinney and what they believe and their character and all that other good stuff. He talked about the school and talked about the culture and their program and how important it is for them to make that connection and build a relationship, not just offer scholarships. They are very selective in who they bring in. I really loved what he had to say. I really did.”

Thursday, Austin stopped by a local high school and visited with Dillion (S.C.) 2024 offensive tackle Josiah Thompson.

And on Friday, he checked in with Woodland (Dorchester, S.C.) four-star offensive tackle Kam Pringle.

Tyler Grisham

While out and about on the recruiting trail this week, Clemson wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham checked up on a few future Tigers, among other recruits

Grisham checks up on future Tigers, other recruits

TCI also learned that on Thursday, Grisham visited Hickory Ridge High School (Harrisburg, N.C.), which is home to 2023 four-star wide receiver Christian Hamilton.

Hamilton, who lists more than two dozen total offers, received an offer from Clemson on Christmas Day. He recently included Clemson in his list of top-12 schools.

The 6-foot, 180-pound junior is ranked as high as the No. 14 wide receiver and No. 86 overall prospect in the 2023 class by Rivals, while the 247Sports Composite considers him the No. 22 receiver and No. 132 overall prospect in his class.

CJ Spiller

Earlier this week, Spiller stopped by Calvary Day School (Savanah, GA.), which is home to a trio of Clemson targets: 2023 four-star linebacker Troy Ford, Jr., 2023 three-star defensive tackle Terry Simmons and 2024 quarterback Jake Merklinger

That same day, Clemson’s running backs coach also stopped by Fleming Island High School (Orange Park, Fla.), which is home to 2023 four-star running back Samuel Singleton.

Singleton (5-11, 180) ranks as the No. 5 running back in his class, per the 247Sports Composite.

Kyle Richardson

Clemson’s tight ends coach stopped by Pinnacle (AZ.) High School Monday, as he checked in on the nation’s No. 1 tight end in the 2023 recruiting class, Duce Robinson.

He also stopped by Forest Hills High School (Marshville, N.C.) on Wednesday.

He also traveled to Northwestern High School (Rock Hill, S.C.) to visit with the head coach of 2023 OT Jordan Knox. Richardson also served as the program’s head coach himself from 2011-15.

Nick Eason

Clemson defensive tackles and run game coordinator Nick Eason has been all over the trail this week. On Monday, Eason stopped by Camden (S.C.) High School and visited with in-state standout four-star defensive lineman Xzavier McLeod.

Eason checks in on elite in-state defensive tackle

Tuesday, Eason stopped by Rome (GA.) High School for the second straight week. He was in to see four-star defensive lineman Stephiylan Green, who is among one of the fastest-rising prospects in the country and has recently emerged on Clemson’s radar.

Wednesday morning, Eason stopped by the high school of the nation’s top defensive end in the 2024 recruiting class: Johns Creek (Alpharetta, GA.) four-star Alexander “T.A.” Cunnigham.

We caught up with the program’s head coach, Matt Helmerich, to get more info regarding Eason’s visit to their campus.

“Off the field, he’s unbelievable,” Helmerich said of Cunnigham. “He’s all As and Bs. He’s really good in the classroom. Works his butt off in the weight room. Still a puppy, I think he might still be growing. He’s getting better every day on the field. I think he’s just touching the surface on how good he can be.”

Eason is familiar with Cunnigham, according to Helmerich. Their paths crossed before when Cunnigham was at Auburn for a game day visit this past fall.

“He’s impressed, obviously,” Helmerich said of Eason’s interest in Cunnigham. “The crazy thing is, he’s only a sophomore. It’s amazing that he’s got two years of high school football left in him. He already looks like a college-sized kid. It’ll be interesting to see how much better he gets.”

Before TCI got off the phone with Helmerich, he wanted to mention another prospect at Johns Creek, which he described as a “diamond in the rough.” According to Helmerich, 2023 cornerback Jayden Dykes really came on this year and had a really good season. Clemson also wants a “peek” at him too, he said.

For the second consecutive week, Eason stopped by Gardendale (Ala.) High School to meet with the program’s head coach, Chad Eads. Clemson, of course, has been heavily recruiting a four-star defensive end out of Gardendale by the name of Kelby Collins.

Collins (6-5, 257) is ranked as high as the No. 32 overall prospect in the country for the 2023 class by Rivals.

Extra Points: While Tyler Grisham made plenty of stops to Lakeland (Fla.) High School to visit with 2023 WR Tyler Williams, TCI learned that Eason stopped by to check in on the priority four-star Thursday.

Lemanski Hall

Clemson’s defensive ends coach stopped by the school of a prospect that we’ve been tracking over the past few weeks. Clemson had previously been showing interest in 2023 DB Jacorious Hart, but Hall was finally able to stop by Loachapoka High School (Auburn, Ala.) and chat with the program’s head coach Thursday.

Friday, Hall stopped by New Bern (N.C.) High School, which is home to 2023 four-star defensive lineman Keith Sampson.

Sampson (6-4, 285) will be at Clemson’s Elite Junior Day and is ranked by 247Sports as the nation’s No. 20 defensive lineman and No. 143 overall prospect in the 2023 class.

 

Wes Goodwin

Clemson’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach has been plenty busy on the recruiting trail, but his most notable visit was to that of a local Pittsburgh high school.

This Wednesday, Goodwin stooped by Brashear (Pittsburgh, PA.) High School, which is home to 2023 four-star edge rusher Ta’Mere Robinson.

We caught up with the program’s head coach, Drew Moore, who detailed Goodwin’s visit to campus and Clemson’s interest in the highly-touted prospect. 

“He wanted to come and talk about Ta’Mere and we had a chance to sit down and talk with Ta’Mere’s assistant principal as well and really do his homework,” Moore said of Goodwin.

“It was more so just him personally getting up to speed with Ta’Mere because, obviously, Ta’Mere started to develop a really strong relationship with Coach (Brent) Venables. So, with Coach Goodwin taking over, he really wanted to learn about him and get to know him. Those guys are really high on him.”

According to Moore, Goodwin talked about how they would love for Robinson to make his first official visit to Clemson during the first weekend in June.

247Sports considers Robinson as the No. 10 edge rusher in the class.

Mickey Conn

Clemson’s co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach stopped by St. John Paul II Catholic High School (Tallahassee, Fla.) on Tuesday and sat down with the program’s head coach, Ed Hill.

We caught up with Hill who detailed Conn’s visit to campus and what prospects Clemson is showing interest in. 

“He wanted to make sure that we knew that they were highly interested in (2023 four-star defensive back) Makari Vickers and did not want to miss on him,” Hall said. “We have Makari Vickers and then we have a kid named (2023 defensive end) Avery Howard that I want them to take a look at as well, that they’re gonna take a look at.”

Vickers is the No. 5 DB in the nation and one of the more sought-after prospects in the nation.

On Wednesday, Conn stopped by Carrollton (GA.) High School, which is home to 2023 wide receiver Takare Lipscomb, who Clemson has previously shown interest in.

Later that day, Conn stopped by Oscar Smith High School (Chesapeake, Va.), which is where Clemson freshman safety Sherrod Covil, who signed with the Tigers in December, hails from. Conn was there for one of Covil’s now-former teammates though.

Conn and Clemson have previously expressed interest in 2024 four-star cornerback Asaad “BJ” Brown. Right now, 247Sports considers Brown to be the No. 6 ranked cornerback in his recruiting class.

Thursday, Conn visited with Selma (Alabama) four-star safety DaKaari Nelson, who will be at Clemson this weekend.

“Lately they’ve been saying they like the way I play and they want to offer me, but Coach Swinney wants to see me in person before they do,” he told The Clemson Insider.

On Friday, Conn stopped by two Peach State high schools that are based in Lawrencville (GA.): Mountain View and Central Gwinnett.

Mike Reed

We’ll have more info on Clemson’s cornerbacks coach visit to a Sunshine State high school later today, but we can tell you that he made an in-home visit with Douglas County (Douglasville, GA.) 2022 three-star cornerback Myles Oliver Thursday.

Reed, Swinney and Goodwin all stopped by Douglas County High School on Thursday, but it was only Reed who stayed to stop by Oliver’s home.

Oliver, who committed to Clemson after his official visit earlier this month, told us that the visit “was good.”

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