Tag: All In Cookout

4-star OL commit Owens says ‘the sky’s the limit’ for Clemson’s 2023 class

Among the commitments in Clemson’s 2023 recruiting class who were on hand for Monday’s All In Cookout was Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, Ga.) four-star offensive tackle, Zechariah Owens. The 6-foot-6, 365-pound rising senior had a …

Among the commitments in Clemson’s 2023 recruiting class who were on hand for Monday’s All In Cookout was Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, Ga.) four-star offensive tackle, Zechariah Owens.

The 6-foot-6, 365-pound rising senior had a blast at the Tigers’ signature summer recruiting event and recapped his experience in a phone interview with The Clemson Insider this past Tuesday.

“It was fun, man,” Owens said. “It was so much fun. It felt good seeing all my guys again. I can say this and speak for everybody, we’re all like brothers. The way we look at each other. The way we talk to each other, play with each other. I know when we get to college, I already know the sky’s the limit for us.”

Before we went further into Monday’s festivities, Owens peeled back the curtain and walked us through his decision to commit to Dabo Swinney’s program back on the Fourth of July. 

If you can recall, Owens told The Clemson Insider back in early March that Clemson was his No. 1 school following a junior day visit that culminated in an offer. At the time, it was not only Swinney’s message that resonated with Owens but his ability to connect with Thomas Austin on a personal level. 

“I’m looking at him as an example,” Owens said of Clemson’s offensive line coach. “He was an offensive lineman. He came from Clemson and look where he is now. He’s the offensive line coach — that’s his dream job. Every time someone comes out of Clemson, no matter where they go…dreams come true at Clemson. I just know that if I stick with the plan they have for me, I could do the same thing.”

Now, you may be asking why when Owens’ commitment video panned into a Penn State logo before turning into his Clemson commitment graphic. Well, word got out that he silently committed during his official visit and he didn’t want that to be public information until he announced his decision.

“I knew I was going to Clemson,” he said. “My family knew I was going to Clemson. We’ve been All In. We all knew I was going to Clemson…It wasn’t no disrespect towards the school or nothing like that. I just wanted to get people off my back thinking they know where I’m going when I didn’t want to make it public.”

While Monday’s All In Cookout wasn’t about recruiting, Owens said that Clemson’s staff was still acting like they were recruiting him. Even though Clemson had 16 of 17 committed prospects on campus earlier this week, the Tigers haven’t grown complacent. They haven’t treated the commits any differently just because they’re committed. They’re still actively recruiting them and their families each and every day, especially Monday.

“I don’t know how to explain it, it’s really like a family thing,” he said. “It’s really like a family. I can’t really explain it, you really just got to be there. It’s no favorites…All of them are just family.”

That especially can be said for Clemson’s offensive line commits like Vandegrift (Austin, TX.) four-star Ian Reed and Permian (Odessa, TX.) four-star Harris Sewell.

“We might be the best o-line class Clemson has gotten,” Owens said. “Development-wise, we have the best o-line class. We’re dawgs. I got my boy, Ian, he’s tough. I’ve seen Harris’s film. Harris is tough. Harris be hittin’…We all act like brothers too, so our chemistry’s already there. The way we act towards each other and around each other, we don’t try to one-up each other. No, none of that. The chemistry is actually there and very genuine with my boys.”

The same could be said for the remainder of Clemson’s 2023 recruiting class and the five-star quarterback that Owens has been tasked with protecting.

“Everybody loves CV,” Owens said of Christopher Vizzina. “CV is like boy wonder. How could you not love Chris? He’s cool. I love CV. He’s like a brother for real. He’s the one that recruited me and helped me come to Clemson. I was gonna choose Penn State and he was like ‘Yeah, you’re not going to Penn State.’’

Owens listened. He was not going to Penn State.

— Photo for this article courtesy of  @z6ckk on Instagram.

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All In Cookout makes Clemson commit feel even better about decision to be a Tiger

Among the commitments in Clemson’s 2023 recruiting class who were on hand for Monday’s All In Cookout was Rockwall (Texas) High School four-star wide receiver Noble Johnson. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound rising senior had a blast at the Tigers’ signature …

Among the commitments in Clemson’s 2023 recruiting class who were on hand for Monday’s All In Cookout was Rockwall (Texas) High School four-star wide receiver Noble Johnson.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound rising senior had a blast at the Tigers’ signature summer recruiting event, and so did the family members who accompanied him.

When Johnson traveled to Clemson for the Dabo Swinney Camp in June, his father and two younger brothers came with him. This time around, Johnson’s mother and older sister made the trek from Texas to Tiger Town and got a taste of what Clemson is like during the cookout.

“I enjoyed it a lot,” Johnson told The Clemson Insider. “The first visit, I went with my dad and my two younger brothers, but my sister and my mom couldn’t go. But for the cookout, I took my mom and my sister, and they had an amazing experience. My mom fell in love with it. My sister loves it. She runs track. She’s going to a DII school in Oklahoma right now, and she was talking about how she wants to go to Clemson when she gets better at long jump and everything and try to run track for Clemson. But it was overall a great experience.”

The cookout itinerary included a Wiffle Ball home run derby, dodgeball, and trivia, and the recruits donned the purple jerseys for a three-hour photoshoot – which Johnson cited as the highlight of the cookout for him personally.

“For me, it was seeing everyone smile during the pictures,” he said. “But for others, the Wiffle Ball game, that was crazy fun. Playing dodgeball, that was super fun, seeing all the ‘old men,’ the coaches in their 50s moving around, doing some crazy athletic stuff. That was really funny. And then just talking, just having a great time with the coaches and just seeing everyone talk, that was really cool.”

Speaking of the coaches, members of the Tigers’ defensive staff joked that they want to have Johnson and his talent on defense, but Clemson wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham isn’t going to let it happen.

“Coach Grisham was talking about how the other coaches, defensive coaches, want me to go and make the switch to play on the defensive side of the ball,” Johnson said, “And Coach Grisham was like, ‘Nah, he’s going to be a receiver obviously.’ So, that was pretty funny.”

“But overall, we saw baby pictures of the coaches, like Coach Swinney, Coach Grisham,” Johnson continued. “I found out some stuff that was actually pretty funny about them both. It was nice.”

The All In Cookout gave Johnson a chance to continue building his relationships with not only the coaching staff, but also his fellow commits.

Johnson feels his bond with the coaches has been growing stronger, and he’s hit it off with the other future Tigers in Clemson’s 2023 class as well.

“My relationship with the coaches, it’s getting better,” he said. “We talk almost every day. We talk maybe five times a week. I talk every day with the commits. We have a group chat on Instagram, and everyone’s just getting along, everyone’s meshing together pretty well. We’re all finding similarities in each other, and we’re just going off of that.”

“They’re crazy funny,” Johnson added of his fellow commits. “The group chat is always blowing up. Everyone’s always typing… I love everyone that’s committed.”

As for the pair of uncommitted prospects who attended the cookout – Milton (Alpharetta, Ga.) four-star safety Robert Billings and Stockbridge (Ga.) three-star cornerback Shelton Lewis – Johnson would love to see them jump on board with Clemson but believes the Tigers are in good shape regardless of whether they join the 2023 class.

“Hopefully we get them,” he said. “But at the same time, even if we don’t get them, say they choose another school, I feel like we’re still going to be set.”

Johnson earned an offer from Clemson after working out at the Swinney Camp on June 2 and then announced his commitment to the Tigers just nine days later.

As a junior, Johnson recorded 49 receptions for 875 yards and eight receiving touchdowns for Rockwall. The 2023 Under Armour All-America Game commitment is rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN, Rivals and the 247Sports Composite, and ranked as high as the No. 240 overall prospect in the 2023 class by Rivals.

According to Johnson, the Tigers plan to deploy him at the boundary receiver position.

“I’m going to be a boundary receiver, so I’m going to be working the short side of the field,” he said. “So wherever the ball is, I’m going to be on the short side of the field. So, just a boundary receiver.”

Overall, Johnson’s experience at Monday’s All In Cookout made him feel even better about his decision to be a Tiger.

“Oh yeah, most definitely,” he said. “It was just another trip back home. I’m excited I’m going to be there for the next four years.”

When might Johnson make another trip from the Lone Star State back to his future college home?

“I know I’m going to be back for a few of the games,” he said. “I don’t know when I’m going to take my official because Clemson still hasn’t scheduled their official visits yet, but hopefully I can get it in before December. That’s what they’re aiming for I believe.”

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Monday night All In Cookout update

The premier event on Clemson’s summer recruiting calendar arrived today. With the Tigers holding their annual All In Cookout beginning this afternoon, The Clemson Insider wanted to pass along an update regarding some of what we have gathered about …

The premier event on Clemson’s summer recruiting calendar arrived today.

With the Tigers holding their annual All In Cookout beginning this afternoon, The Clemson Insider wanted to pass along an update regarding some of what we have gathered about the cookout as of this evening.

Clemson’s commitments comprised the vast majority of cookout attendees, and TCI has confirmed that all of the commits made it in with the exception of three-star tight end Markus Dixon, who was unable to make the trip down from Pennsylvania, as his parents were unable to make the trip.

So that means 16 Clemson pledges made it to the cookout, which is important considering it gives them and their families a great opportunity to continue strengthening their relationships with the Tigers’ coaching staff as well as their fellow commits.

Dabo Swinney and his staff are as good as it gets when it comes to keeping prospects on board once they’re already committed, and the All In Cookout — with its laid-back, relaxed atmosphere that allows for close bonding — always helps the Tigers do just that.

With that said, there are a couple of uncommitted recruits at the cookout, as well: Milton (Alpharetta, Ga.) four-star safety Robert Billings and Stockbridge (Ga.) three-star cornerback Shelton Lewis.

Lewis, who was previously committed to the University of Pittsburgh for 22 days last month, announced an offer from Clemson via social media this evening.

Clemson has three scholarship spots open for the cornerback position in the class of 2023. The Tigers have already filled two of those spots with the verbal commitments of Avieon Terrell and Branden Strozier. That leaves one spot remaining for a fellow Peach State product in Lewis.

As for Billings, who received an offer from Clemson while on campus for the program’s “spring elite day” back on March 5, he returned to Tiger Town for an official visit from June 3-5 and that visit only further confirmed how he feels about the program.

The first time he visited Clemson, he got a good grasp of things, but the official visit put things over the top, as the Peach State safety got to see what the Clemson program is all about.

“They just preached family,” Billings said in an interview with TCI following the official visit. “It really felt like a family. It felt like home. Coach Swinney, he really likes his former players. He has 28 former players on his staff. He takes care of the guys who got their degrees and tries and put them into the program. They really preach education, get your degree and graduate.”

The cookout has only helped Clemson’s cause with Billings, as well as Lewis, and we believe the forecast for those two prospects is sunny when it comes to the Tigers’ chances of adding them to the 2023 class.

Regarding Lewis, TCI was told by a trusted source that UNC feels Clemson is going to land Lewis.

All in all, from everything we’ve heard, the All In Cookout has been a hit once again this year and everyone seems to have enjoyed their time at it. One of Clemson’s five-star commits told TCI that the cookout “went great” and was a “really fun day.”

A couple of the cookout activities included a Wiffle Ball home run derby, dodgeball, and trivia, and the recruits put the purple jerseys on for a three-hour photoshoot.

Stay tuned to TCI as we’ll have returns from some of the cookout visitors in the coming days.

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Clemson’s 2022 recruiting class has ‘everything you could ever want’

Prospects from far and near attended Clemson’s All In Cookout this past Sunday. Recruits were allowed to make in-person contact with teams and find their way back on campus with the quiet period in effect. Prospects like Greenville (S.C.) Christ …

Prospects from far and near attended Clemson’s All In Cookout this past Sunday.

Recruits were allowed to make in-person contact with teams and find their way back on campus with the quiet period in effect. Prospects like Greenville (S.C.) Christ Church Episcopal School 2022 OT Mason Johnstone were back on Clemson’s campus.

The local product talked to The Clemson Insider regarding his time at the cookout and the messages he’s been receiving from the Tigers’ coaching staff.

“The Cookout was awesome,” Johnstone said. “Super fun to be around all the commits and be around the family. The thing I enjoyed the most was creating the bond with all the recruits, they’re all just great guys and being able to be around them felt like I was around my teammates.”

For Johnstone, pretty much everything about last Sunday’s experience was a huge highlight. Getting closer with all the Class of 2022 recruits was his favorite, but it was also great for him to see all the coaches again.

“It was also kinda crazy to play dodgeball and talk with Tajh Boyd. who was my favorite player growing up,” he added.

At Clemson, Best is the Standard. There are not many colleges across the nation where you can come to campus and get to play dodgeball against a former legend.

That’s what’s special about Clemson, but there’s also something special about this recruiting class.

“I feel like this class has everything you can ever want,” Johnstone said. “First and foremost, all the guys are really great and we’re a pretty tight-knit group already. This class is going to bring championships. Everyone’s unselfish, has low egos, and we have leaders. No matter if you’re a PWO or a five-star, everyone’s treated the same by their peers, which is really cool to see.”

Johnstone officially committed to Clemson back on June 13 following the program’s Elite Retreat. He had been silently committed prior to the event but elected to announce after he immersed himself back on campus this summer.

“They’re really happy to have me,” Johnstone said. “They see me as a very high-ceiling player and really believe that down the road, I’ll contribute. Starting off, my job will be to learn as much as I can, improve my body to where I can compete and then and improve each year.

“They told me that I’ll have a very good chance to compete for a bigger role if I do the things they say and work hard.”

The three-star offensive lineman had offers to play elsewhere, but couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play for his hometown team.

“There’s no other place that I’d rather be, scholarship or not,” Johnstone added.

This coming season, Johnstone is looking to compete for a state title. Not many people were expecting Christ Church to turn as many heads as it did last year and even this year there still remains some doubt, according to Johnstone. But, he and his teammates know what their team is capable

As far as personal goals are concerned, Johnstone wants to keep learning and improving his skills at offensive tackle, so he can dominate on both sides of the ball, he said

“As a player, I’m very detail-oriented and very eager to learn and perfect my craft,” Johnstone added, “Fans can expect that I’ll always find a way to make the team better, whether it’s scout team or starting offense, I’ll always find a way to make us a better football team than the day before.

“My footwork is my biggest strength by far. “Having been a basketball player my whole life, the movements are natural to mean and I just need to work on polishing them and putting everything together.”

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Legacy recruit had ‘lots of fun’ at Sunday’s Cookout

Among those in attendance at Clemson’s All In Cookout was a legacy recruit. Greenville (S.C.) 2022 tight end Josh Sapp, the son of former Clemson and NFL linebacker Patrick Sapp, was invited to The Cookout a mere couple of weeks ago by Tigers’ …

Among those in attendance at Clemson’s All In Cookout was a legacy recruit. 

Greenville (S.C.) 2022 tight end Josh Sapp, the son of former Clemson and NFL linebacker Patrick Sapp, was invited to The Cookout a mere couple of weeks ago by Tigers’ offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Tony Elliott.

The younger Sapp thoroughly enjoyed his time back at Clemson and detailed his experience in a conversation with The Clemson Insider.

“Man, it was great,” Sapp told TCI. “I really had lots of fun, I really enjoyed all of the games we played like the trivia and dodgeball and baseball, those were just fun competing against the coaches and other recruits.”

The highlight of it all for Sapp was the photoshoot.

“That was the best photoshoot I’ve had yet,” he said.

While Sapp has consistently been in contact with Elliott as of late, there was little mention of his recruitment during his time at Clemson this past weekend.

“Nothing much really, we weren’t really talking about recruiting stuff there,” Sapp said when asked what he heard from Elliott and Dabo Swinney. “It was more of just enjoying the time with each other.”

Sapp’s already familiar with one of the verbal commits in four-star OL Collin Sadler, who is his teammate at Greenville. Still, Sapp had the opportunity to hang out with the remainder of the recruits in his class and didn’t miss a beat.

“It was cool meeting those guys and fun hanging out with them, we had a really good time for sure,” he said.

“Overall, it was just a really good time,” Sapp added. “It was fun being there and we had lots of fun, felt like a family reunion.”

If Clemson offers him, Sapp could have the opportunity of a lifetime to follow in the footsteps of his father.

That’s not something he takes lightly.

“It definitely would be a great thing to do,” Sapp said. “I know my dad would feel really good and that’s something I would definitely love to do and it would even add more of a push to me to be even better at the school and try to accomplish more things than he did.”

Sapp has talked with Elliott about getting back up to Tiger Town for a game this season, but they still have to work out the details.

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Greene feels orange carpet treatment during All In cookout

Clemson laid out the orange carpet for some of its top targets in the 2022 class during Sunday’s All In Cookout. One of those top targets is Richmond (Va.) St. Christopher’s School four-star wide receiver Andre Greene, Jr., who was on campus for …

Clemson laid out the orange carpet for some of its top targets in the 2022 class during Sunday’s All In Cookout. One of those top targets is Richmond (Va.) St. Christopher’s School four-star wide receiver Andre Greene, Jr., who was on campus for Sunday’s festivities. 

It was Greene’s second time on campus this summer. He made an earlier visit to Clemson last month for a session of Dabo Swinney Camp, where he worked out for the Tigers’ head coach and ultimately received an official scholarship offer. 

Fast forward a couple of weeks and Greene (6-3, 175) had an opportunity to get some more face time with Swinney, Clemson wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham and some fellow recruits.

“The Cookout was great,” Greene told The Clemson Insider. “I really enjoyed spending time with Coach Swinney, Coach Grisham and the other players. It was a lot of events that allowed me to get to know and spend time with the coaches and players.”

Greene was headed back home to Virginia and ready to take a nap in the car when Swinney called him and invited him over to his home. It ended up being his favorite part of his trip down to Clemson.

“I would say the highlight of the day was going to Coach Swinney’s house after the cookout,” he said. “Some of the other players and I spent the majority of time in the pool, playing water basketball.”

Greene spent a lot of his time enjoying himself, but there were also some important conversations that needed to be had with the coaching staff. Clemson remains very interested in adding him to a wide receiver room that already includes Myrtle Beach (S.C.) 2022 four-star Adam Randall. 

“Coach Swinney and Coach Grisham’s message was, ‘They want me,’” Greene said. “Coach Swinney told me before I left that he had seen a lot of great receivers and I’m one of the special ones that’s going to be great wherever I go. But said, if I come to Clemson I’m going to be great AND I’m going to win a National Championship.”

It remains to be seen if that message resonates with Greene, but it’s clear that Clemson had that family feel he’s been looking for in the schools he’s currently being recruited by. 

Greene indicated to TCI that he would like to make a decision this fall, so another Clemson visit could certainly be in the cards.

While Clemson’s Class of 2022 commits made sure to put on their recruiter hats this weekend for the talented Virginia wide receiver, it never felt like that to Greene. 

“I did spend a lot of time with some other commits, including Cade [Klubnik],” he said. “It didn’t feel like they were recruiting me, just a bunch of us having time to have fun and be kids again.”

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Clemson commit says All In Cookout felt like a ‘family reunion’

After making the trip to Clemson to participate in the Dabo Swinney Camp and attend the Elite Retreat in June, Strongsville (Ohio) four-star offensive lineman and future Tiger Blake Miller returned to campus Sunday for the All In Cookout. The class …

After making the trip to Clemson to participate in the Dabo Swinney Camp and attend the Elite Retreat in June, Strongsville (Ohio) four-star offensive lineman and future Tiger Blake Miller returned to campus Sunday for the All In Cookout.

The class of 2022 Clemson commitment gave the cookout high marks and had a blast hanging out with the coaches and staff as well as his fellow commits.

“I had a really great time,” Miller told The Clemson Insider. “It was great seeing everyone again. The coaches and the staff and everyone did a really great job on the event. I had a really great time and I think everyone there had an awesome time.”

“They said at the start it was like a family reunion,” he added, “and it really did feel like that.”

Miller’s father accompanied him to the cookout.

“My dad came with me, and he had a really great time,” Miller said. “He said the same thing, it was really awesome. It was a really calm and fun environment.”

The best part of the cookout for Miller was simply spending quality time fellowshipping with the coaches and his future teammates in the Tigers’ 2022 recruiting class.

Although the commits haven’t been able to be around each other a lot because of the NCAA recruiting dead period that was in place for so long due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Miller nonetheless feels the bond between the members of the ‘22 class is still strong.

“I think it’s definitely pretty good,” he said. “Having seen each other as little as we have but still communicating, I think our relationship’s really good.”

Miller plans on making his way back to Tiger Town during the upcoming season.

“I think so, for an official visit and maybe for a couple games,” he said.

After his experience at the All In Cookout, Miller – who became Clemson’s first 2022 commit when he gave his verbal pledge in October 2020 – is even more ready to get on campus for good next year and begin his career as a Tiger.

“It definitely does make me more excited to be able to get down on campus and start working,” he said. “Just seeing that everyone is not only a great coach, but able to have fun is really a great thing.”

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Elite TE Delp talks to TCI about All In Cookout

The Clemson football program hosted its signature summer recruiting event, the All In Cookout, on Sunday. Among the Tigers’ priority targets in attendance was one of the nation’s top tight ends, Oscar Delp. The Clemson Insider caught up with the …

The Clemson football program hosted its signature summer recruiting event, the All In Cookout, on Sunday.

Among the Tigers’ priority targets in attendance was one of the nation’s top tight ends, Oscar Delp.

The Clemson Insider caught up with the four-star and top-100 national prospect from Cumming (Ga.) West Forsyth about his experience at the cookout.

“It was fun,” he said. “Good time getting out there and hanging out with all the players and all the coaches.”

Delp, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound rising senior in the class of 2022, made the trip to Tiger Town for the cookout with his mother.

“It was just me and my mom, and she enjoyed it as well,” he said.

The cookout gave him a good chance to continue building a bond with some of Clemson’s 2022 commitments, especially Austin (Texas) Westlake four-star quarterback Cade Klubnik and Myrtle Beach (S.C.) four-star wide receiver Adam Randall.

“I’m pretty familiar with some of them, so I was really hanging out with Cade Klubnik and Adam Randall,” Delp said. “I’ve already been with them a couple times at some different events this summer. So, it was good to see them again.”

Klubnik, one of Clemson’s best recruiters among the commits, is making his pitch to Delp and would love to have him as a weapon to throw to at Death Valley in the future.

“He thinks that we’d be a good combination in college together,” Delp said. “He really wants me to be a part of a team with him.”

Dabo Swinney and Clemson’s staff reiterated to Delp that he is a top priority for the Tigers and rolled out the orange carpet for him again while he was on campus Sunday.

“[The coaches said] that I’m just the guy that they want, and they were going to show me everything that Clemson has to offer,” Delp said. “Just making me feel at home.”

It marked the second visit to Clemson in as many months for Delp, who also traveled to campus during the Swinney Football Camp in June.

Did the All In Cookout change anything about where the Tigers stand with him?

“They’re still near the top of my list,” he said. “I’m just waiting to get out to games and see everywhere in a gameday atmosphere now. But it was a good visit.”

Delp, the nephew of former Clemson wide receiver James Chappell, is ranked as the nation’s No. 2 tight end in the 2022 class by Rivals and 247Sports — the latter of which considers him the No. 71 overall prospect in the country regardless of position.

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Sunday evening All In Cookout update

We wanted to pass along some of what we’ve gathered regarding Clemson’s All In Cookout, which took place this morning and afternoon. Today marked the start of the NCAA quiet period that permits coaches to have in-person contact with recruits on …

We wanted to pass along some of what we’ve gathered regarding Clemson’s All In Cookout, which took place this morning and afternoon. Today marked the start of the NCAA quiet period that permits coaches to have in-person contact with recruits on college campuses.

Most of Clemson’s commitments, with the exception of the IMG Academy trio, were on hand for the cookout as well as several priority targets. TCI confirmed that one of the headliners that ended up making the trip back to Tiger Town was Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley five-star defensive tackle Travis Shaw, who also attended the Tigers’ Elite Retreat in June.

Shaw was joined on campus by Mauldin (S.C.) five-star cornerback Jeadyn Lukus, Cumming (Ga.) West Forsyth four-star tight end Oscar Delp and Richmond (Va.) St. Christopher’s School four-star wide receiver Andre Greene Jr., as well as Greenville (S.C.) tight end Josh Sapp, the son of former Clemson and NFL linebacker Patrick Sapp.

Aside from a great meal, the cookout itinerary included trivia games about music and games at the Allen N. Reeves Football Complex, including dodgeball and a wiffleball home run derby. After that, the recruits went to Death Valley and did a photoshoot there.

Based on the returns we’ve gathered, the cookout went very well. It allowed the commits, targets, coaching staff and families to build stronger bonds, and from what we’ve heard, everyone enjoyed their experience and had a great time as you would expect. And once again, the Tigers were able to roll out ace recruiter Kathleen Swinney, who is always a hit with the recruits and families. One prospect told us the cookout felt like a “family reunion.”

Like Shaw, Lukus was on campus for last month’s Elite Retreat, and his cookout attendance figures to only help Clemson’s case with him heading into his commitment announcement this Wednesday. Delp, Greene and Sapp all visited during the Dabo Swinney Camp in June, and getting them back on campus for the second time in two months certainly doesn’t hurt Clemson’s chances. They were able to feel Clemson’s family atmosphere in full force, and the cookout experience gave them a lot to think about.

We’ll have more on the cookout in The Insider Report on Monday.

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!

This legacy recruit will be at this weekend’s All In Cookout

This weekend will be an important one for Clemson’s 2022 recruiting class. The Tigers are hosting their All-In Cookout this coming weekend, with those who have verbally committed, a legacy recruit and highly-touted prospects all potentially being in …

This weekend will be an important one for Clemson’s 2022 recruiting class.

The Tigers are hosting their All-In Cookout this coming weekend, with those who have verbally committed, a legacy recruit and highly-touted prospects all potentially being in attendance.

About a couple of weeks back Greenville (S.C.) 2022 three-star tight end Josh Sapp was invited to The Cookout by Tony Elliott.

Clemson’s offensive coordinator/tight ends coach told Sapp to leave July 24-25 open on his calendar. Sapp recently informed TCI that he plans on attending Clemson’s famous late-July cookout. 

Does that mean an offer could be on the horizon?

“I believe it is,” Sapp said, “And he told me they are waiting on the No. 1 TE in my class to make a decision. If he doesn’t commit to Clemson, that would open a spot for me.”

Sapp, obviously, is speaking on Oscar Delp, who is considered to be a priority for Clemson in the 2022 class. Delp was originally supposed to attend this weekend’s cookout but decided against picking and choosing between schools for their respective cookouts. Instead, he’ll be waiting to attend some games this upcoming season.

Delp isn’t the only highly-touted prospect that won’t be there. TCI learned that Hays (KS.) four-star ATH Jaren Kanak will not be in attendance. 

In addition to Sapp, the confirmed visitor list for the cookout features multiple big names, such as Mauldin (S.C.) five-star cornerback Jeadyn Lukus, and Richmond (Va.) St Christopher’s School four-star wide receiver Andre Greene, Jr. 

Jennings (La.) four-star running back Trevor Etienne has said he will be in attendance, but we will have to wait and see if he indeed makes it in.

Additionally, most of Clemson’s Class of 2022 commits will be in attendance. The three that likely won’t be are Jihaad Campbell, Keon Sabb and Daylen Everette, as the IMG Academy trio recently just arrived back in Bradenton (Fla.) for summer workouts.

As for Sapp, he’s been hearing the same things from Elliot over the past couple of weeks.

“We have a pretty solid relationship, we will talk about every week, just to see how each other is doing,” he said.

Sapp’s status as a legacy recruit certainly helps his case, but Clemson appears to be genuinely interested in what he potentially brings to the table as a tight end at the next level.

They haven’t talked about the parameters of an official scholarship offer, or as Sapp put it, “not anything official just yet.”

What would it mean for Sapp to get that coveted Clemson offer?

“It would mean a lot to me,” he said. “Every offer I get is a huge blessing to me, so a Clemson offer would definitely be special to me.”

For now, Sapp is just being patient as far as his recruitment is concerned and looking through all his options.

The Cookout provides a nice weekend getaway, but he’ll return to Greenville soon after, as he prepares for an important senior season.

“Everything’s been going great,” Sapp said. “I feel our school can really get that state ring this year.”

As far as Sapp’s team-oriented goals are concerned, he wants to win the State Championship. When it comes to personal goals, he’s looking to get about three pancake blocks per game. Blocking is the biggest aspect of Sapp’s game that he’s been working on this summer, he added.

With that being said, what does Sapp feel his strengths currently are as a tight end?

“My strengths, I feel, are being able to run routes like a wide receiver and also being able to block in the box,” he said.

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