After being unable to secure the commitments of some of the nation’s top-rated tight ends, Clemson shifted its focus to a legacy recruit.
Greenville (S.C.) three-star tight end Josh Sapp — the son of former Clemson and NFL linebacker Patrick Sapp — officially put pen to paper with the Tigers on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period for class of 2022 football recruits.
“Clemson has always been a dream school of mine and it just feels like I’m at home when I’m there and everything about it is just great,” Josh told The Clemson Insider regarding his decision to commit to Clemson. “It was a no-brainer for me. It just felt right.”
Josh definitely fell victim to being under-recruited, considering how many different positions he played at Greenville High School.
Clemson didn’t realize just how much potential he had at the tight end position until he camped at the Dabo Swinney Camp as a rising senior this past summer.
“They said that they just didn’t know how good Josh was because he’s played quarterback, he’s played defensive end and when you watch his film, he plays a lot of different positions,” Patrick told TCI following his son’s commitment to Clemson. “They didn’t know he was a true tight end until he got to camp. I can tell that they were somewhat surprised by that and wished that they had got in much earlier on really recruiting him.”
“The one thing we loved about Josh, the more and more we evaluated him, is his versatility,” Swinney said Wednesday during Clemson Football’s National Signing Day Show. “He’s played quarterback, tight end, receiver, linebacker, defensive end, he’s played it all. He’s got a great football mind and really understands the game. Incredibly athletic, excellent basketball player, great ball skills and I think has a chance to develop into a really excellent player.”
Josh, like Tigers’ four-star wide receiver signee Adam Randall, had been camping at Clemson for years. He had the opportunity to be coached up by former Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott and from that point on, there was mutual interest.
“We needed a tight end in this class and the same thing, this kid came to camp and won us over in camp,” Swinney added. “Tony couldn’t say enough. We really fell in love with Josh Sapp…What a cool, cool thing to be able to see this young man grow up and now have an opportunity to be a Clemson Tiger.”
Josh helped Greenville to a 10-3 record and the final four of the state playoffs, which was his high school’s first appearance in the Upper State title game.
He finally came into his own at the tight end position with an outstanding senior campaign, in which he recorded 50 receptions for 836 yards with 10 touchdowns.
Swinney isn’t the only one excited about what Sapp brings to the table. Newly minted tight ends coach Kyle Richardson gave his stamp of approval for what will be the first new addition to his room.
“Really excited about Josh Sapp here at tight end,” Richardson said via Sapp’s official Clemson bio. “He has great size, can run, catches with his hands and finishes plays. He’s very physical after the catch when you watch his film, it takes more than one defender to bring him down, which is great.”
“He comes from a great family and through his family, he knows that great Clemson football tradition and I can’t wait to see him add to that tradition as a Clemson Tiger.”
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