Swinney on Terrell: ‘He is a kid that we knew early on, all the way back in camp, was going to be something special’

Avieon Terrell looks like an up-and-coming star for the Tigers, and it hasn’t surprised Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney.

Clemson’s freshmen class played phenomenal football Saturday in the Tigers win over Georgia Tech, with one of the top performers being freshman cornerback Avieon Terrell, who showed everyone what he is capable of when tested in the secondary. 

Terrell picked off Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King with a one-hand grab, and it was a beautiful sight to see. According to Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, this is what the Tigers have seen from the young cornerback since he joined the team. 

“He is a kid that we knew early on, all the way back in camp, was going to be something special,” Swinney said. He is one of those guys that you just knew would get better. He is very focused. He is just like his brother in that regard. He just goes about his business all the time, and he has a great attitude.”

Clemson fans are all too familiar with a star cornerback with the last name Terrell, as Avieon is the younger brother of former Clemson star A.J. Terrell, who was one of the best cornerbacks in the country in college and is now playing at the same level in the NFL. After getting his first start against Notre Dame, Terrell started his second straight game against Georgia Tech and proved himself.

“That was his true big test, and he did a great job,” Swinney said. “He has really created a great spark for us out there.

“He is a very talented young player. (Nickel) is kind of where we were working him a good bit, creating some depth there and also at corner. With (Jeadyn Lukus) getting hurt, obviously Sheridan (Jones) is hurt, well, all of a sudden it created more opportunity for him at corner.”

Terrell will get more opportunities to shine for the Tigers as the season winds down.

Clemson’s freshman class had a phenomenal performance in the Tigers’ win over Georgia Tech

Clemson’s freshman class has been unreal this season, as seen in their performance against Georgia Tech.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson coaching staff did a fantastic job with their 2023 freshman class, and they showed it in their phenomenal performance in the Tigers’ 42-21 win over Georgia Tech

After today, it’s tough to argue against the Tigers having one of the best freshman classes in the country, as we saw true freshmen on offense and defense make a tremendous impact in this dominant win. While some have been doing it all season, others made a name for themselves in this performance. 

On offense, wide receiver Tyler Brown continued to do his thing. Brown recorded seven catches for 41 yards, including a catch-of-the-year candidate on a 3-yard one-handed touchdown grab. It is one of the best catches you’ll see this season. 

Tight end Josh Sapp got some good looks in this matchup, with two catches for 17 yards and a touchdown. The work of freshman offensive lineman Harris Sewell helped make all of this possible. 

On defense, while defensive tackle Peter Woods continued to do his thing, freshmen in the secondary were the big story from this game. The Tigers had four freshmen record an interception, with three being from true freshmen. Avieon Terrell, Kylon Griffin, Kahil Barnes, and Shelton Lewis all had interceptions, with Lewis taking it 46 yards for a touchdown.

Clemson’s freshman class looks like it will be a special group for the program.

Dabo Swinney shares why Nate Wiggins didn’t start against Notre Dame

Dabo Swinney shared why Clemson’s top cornerback, Nate Wiggins, didn’t start against the Fighting Irish.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers earned a much-needed 31-23 win over Notre Dame on Saturday, and they did it without one of their top defensive players starting the game. 

Following the win, Swinney was asked why Nate Wiggins didn’t start in the key matchup. Freshman Avieon Terrell started instead, and there was a reason behind this. According to Swinney, Wiggins didn’t start due to missing a couple tutoring sessions. 

“How about Avieon Terrell… We didn’t start Nate today because he didn’t go to a couple tutors, and we have a rule that if you’re negative on accountability, you’re not going to start,” Swinney said. “So, I think he got to minus one or something like that, so you don’t start. It’s just that simple. But I thought Avieon really did a good job. It was fun to see him get out there and compete. Nate did some good stuff as well.”

Wiggins will likely be back in the starting lineup following this, but we’ll have to see how this week of practice goes. 

Friday Night Lights: Future Tigers shine with strong performances

A good chunk of Clemson’s class of 2023 commits played in their second game(s) of the season on Friday night. Briarwood Christian (Alabama) School five-star quarterback Christopher Vizzina, Westlake (Georgia) four-star cornerback Avieon Terrell and …

A good chunk of Clemson’s class of 2023 commits played in their second game(s) of the season on Friday night.

Briarwood Christian (Alabama) School five-star quarterback Christopher Vizzina, Westlake (Georgia) four-star cornerback Avieon Terrell and Woodward Academy (Georgia) four-star defensive end AJ Hoffler led the way with dominant performances.

In Briarwood’s 23-21 win over Spain Park (Alabama), Vizzina led a last-second come-from-behind victory. The senior quarterback led a 68-yard drive with less than a minute remaining and threw an 8-yard touchdown on an untimed down to win the game.

Vizzina finished the contest totaling 358 yards from scrimmage with three total touchdowns (two running, one passing). Vizzina went 22-of-32 passing for 260 yards while adding another 98 yards on the ground.

For Terrell, the four-star cornerback commit showed off his talent in all three phases of the game. In Westlake’s 47-7 win over Crisp County High (Cordele, Ga.), Terell returned a punt for a touchdown and had three returns of 25-yards or more.

While Woodward Academy lost 17-13 in a neutral non-conference against McCallie High (Chatanooga, Tenn.), Hoffler unofficially recorded two sacks, two tackles (one for loss) and a forced fumble.

Here are other scores from games involving Clemson commits this weekend:

TE Olsen Patt Henry, First Baptist Academy (Florida): 43-0 win vs. Neumann (Florida)

OL Zechariah Owens, Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (Georgia): 37-14 loss vs. Blessed Trinity (Georgia)— DID NOT PLAY (injury)

OL Harris Sewell, Permian (Texas): 17-3 win vs. Abilene (Texas)

OL Ian Reed, Vandegrift (Texas): 23-20 loss vs. Dripping Springs (Texas)

DL Stephiylan Green, Rome (Georgia): 49-0 win vs. Lithonia (Georgia) 

LB Dee Crayton, Denmark (Georgia): 17-15 win vs. Cambridge (Georgia)

LB Jamal Anderson, Mill Creek (Georgia): 49-17 win vs. Norcross (Georgia)

CB Branden Strozier, St. Francis (Georgia): 21-17 win vs. Landmark Christian (Georgia)

CB Shelton Lewis, Stockbridge (Georgia): 29-0 loss vs. Colquitt County (Georgia)

S Robert Billings, Milton (Georgia): 41-27 loss vs. Christian Brothers (Missouri)

S Kylen Webb, Sumner (Florida): 42-32 win vs. Bloomingdale (Florida) — DID NOT PLAY (injury)

* Thompson (Alabama) High’s Peter Woods and St. John’s College (Washington, D.C.) High’s David Ojiegbe both play Saturday, Aug. 20.

* Rockwall (Texas) four-star WR Noble Johnson, Buckingham Browne & Nichols (Massaschusttes) four-star WR Ronan Hanafin, Archbishop Wood (Pennsylvania) three-star TE Markus Dixon and Warner Robins (Georgia) four-star DL Vic Burley were all not in action Friday.

— Stats will be updated as they come in.

Clemson football 2023 recruiting class tracker

Clemson football is on a recruiting tear. Check out the Tigers 2023 class so far.

Updated 8/9

We are in full swing with the 2023 recruiting cycle, with this past month being a busy one for Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program.

There have been ups and downs during the process, but the Tigers have had a great start in the 23′ class. Though the team has dealt with decommitments from four-star wide receiver Nathanial Joseph and three-star tight end Reid Mikeska, Clemson still ranks among the top of 247Sports 2023 recruit team rankings.

According to the 247Sports rankings, Friday’s addition of five-star defensive lineman Peter Woods has pushed Clemson up to the No.3 ranked class in the country with eleven commits and 260.28 total points.

Swinney and the Tigers are one of the hottest teams on the recruiting trail right now after snagging Woods from his home state and power house program, Alabama.

Here is a look at the Tigers’ current 2023 class with their 247Sports composite ranking:

Clemson commits react to their official offers from the Tigers

August 1 marks the day that colleges around the nation start doling out official offers to prospects. Clemson is of course among the schools that have been sending out official offers to their commits and targets in the class of 2023, and many of …

August 1 marks the day that colleges around the nation start doling out official offers to prospects.

Clemson is of course among the schools that have been sending out official offers to their commits and targets in the class of 2023, and many of the Tigers’ pledges have been announcing and reacting to their official offers on social media.

Here’s a look at official offer announcements from future Tigers:

Come out to support Clemson softball at Dear Old Clemson’s second event which is set for August 27 at the Madren Conference Center.  Clemson returns one of the top teams in the nation and adds some new talent to the mix.   If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events or purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.

Clemson recruiting weekend wrap-up

Clemson’s first-ever June official visit weekend starting to pay off

Clemson is coming off of a big weekend on the recruiting front. Following the first weekend of June official visits in the Dabo Swinney era, the Tigers have since gained favorable ground with some big-time recruits as well as garnering three new class of 2023 commitments as of Tuesday afternoon. Here is what we know.

According to Steve Wiltfong from 247Sports.com, Clemson has caught the eye of at least nine recruits who took official visits last weekend including, but not limited to: tight end Marcus Dixon, offensive lineman Conner Lew, wide receivers Ahmaud Brown and Ronan Hanafin, cornerback Damari Brown, linebacker Jamal Anderson and defensive linemen AJ Hoffler, T.J. Searcy, and Darron Reed.

Several other 2023 recruits have since listed Clemson as a finalist including four-star wide receiver Noble Brown, four-star safety Derek Williams, four-star edge defender Colton Vasek, and cornerback Damari Brown.

The Tigers picked up three more verbal commitments Monday and Tuesday following the official visit weekend. Four-star cornerback Avieon Terrell, former Tiger A.J. Terrell’s brother, announced his verbal commitment to Clemson on Monday while four-star offensive lineman Ian Reed and three-star tight end Olson Patt Henry shared their decisions to join the Tigers on Tuesday.

With the additions of Reed, Terrell, and Henry to the 2023 Class this week, Clemson now has seven recruits verbally committed including quarterback Christopher Vizzina, receiver Nathaniel Joseph, edge defender David Ojiegbe, and cornerback Branden Strozier.

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Terrell couldn’t build relationships elsewhere like he could at Clemson

There was something about Clemson that Avieon Terrell kept coming back to. The Tigers have been the leader in his clubhouse for some time now, so when the Westlake (Atlanta, Ga.) product verbally pledged to Dabo Swinney’s program on Monday, few …

There was something about Clemson that Avieon Terrell kept coming back to.

The Tigers have been the leader in his clubhouse for some time now, so when the Westlake (Atlanta, Ga.) product verbally pledged to Dabo Swinney’s program on Monday, few people were surprised.

Clemson picked up a commitment from another brother of a former Tigers standout.

The right fit at the right time.

Terrell, a composite four-star, who Rivals considers to be the No. 16 cornerback and the nation’s No. 107 overall prospect regardless of position in the class of 2023, spoke with The Clemson Insider Monday afternoon regarding his decision to commit to Clemson.

“The family atmosphere,” Terrell said when asked why he chose Clemson over schools like Auburn, Kentucky, Michigan State and Texas A&M. “It felt like family up there. I couldn’t really build other relationships like I could at Clemson. Everything was smooth up there.”

Terrell was already committed before he came up to Clemson last week for an unofficial visit. When he informed the coaching staff of his decision, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and cornerbacks coach Mike Reed were with each other. 

He made both of their days.

That relationship has been years in the making. Swinney made Terrell the youngest underclassman that he’s ever offered when he pulled the trigger on a scholarship offer back in April. 29, 2020. Terell was then just a rising sophomore, but he’s made countless trips to The Valley ever since and built up a strong bond with Reed.

“Our relationship is great,” Terrell said. “We talk almost every day. He’s kept real since I met him.”

Aveion, of course, is the younger brother of former Clemson and current Atlanta Falcons cornerback, A.J. Terrell. So, Reed’s development of the elder Terrell brother certainly helps, and while Avieon is following in A.J. ‘s footsteps at Clemson, he built his own path and his own relationships.

With his commitment, Terrell became the fifth member of Clemson’s 2023 recruiting class, joining fellow cornerback and another Peach State native in St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.) four-star Branden Strozier.

There’s already a relationship there as Avieon told us that he and Strozier train together.

 “A lot of leaders,” he said when asked what fans can expect from the class of 2023. “Everyone that’s committed, I got a relationship with. We’re all brothers. They’re gonna get a lot from us.”

While Avieon was not at Clemson’s official visit weekend from June 3-5, TCI learned that he will instead be taking his official visit for the South Carolina game on Nov. 26.

Avieon is not planning on being an early enrollee. So when he arrives on campus about a year from now, what can Clemson fans expect out of him?

“A dog. A humble beast. A leader. A vocal leader, all that,” he said. “Respectful. Lit. Turnt.”

— Photo for this article courtesy of @nationwide_av on Twitter.

The Insider Report: Latest intel on official visitors, campers, newest commit & more

It’s time for this week’s edition of The Insider Report. We hope everyone had a great weekend. More details on Monday’s big commitment After speaking with Westlake (Atlanta, Ga.) four-star cornerback Avieon Terrell this afternoon, we have some more …

It’s time for this week’s edition of The Insider Report.

We hope everyone had a great weekend.

 More details on Monday’s big commitment

After speaking with Westlake (Atlanta, Ga.) four-star cornerback Avieon Terrell this afternoon, we have some more details on a commitment that was more than a couple of years in the making.

“The family atmosphere,” Terrell said when asked why he chose Clemson over schools like Auburn, Kentucky, Michigan State and Texas A&M. “It felt like family up there. I couldn’t really build other relationships like I could at Clemson. Everything was smooth up there.”

With his commitment, Terrell became the fifth member of Clemson’s 2023 recruiting class, joining fellow cornerback and another Peach State native in St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.) four-star Branden Strozier.

There’s already a relationship there as Terrell told us that he and Strozier train together.

Terrell is not planning on being an early enrollee. So when he arrives on campus about a year from now, what can Clemson fans expect out of him?

“A dog. A humble beast. A leader. A vocal leader, all that,” he said. “Respectful. Lit. Turnt.”

While Terrell was not at Clemson’s official visit weekend from June 3-5, The Clemson Insider learned that he will instead be taking his official visit for the South Carolina game on Nov. 26.

Vizzina details official visit experience 

The Clemson Insider caught up with Briarwood Christian (Alabama) four-star quarterback commit Christopher Vizzina, who detailed this past weekend’s official visit in an interview Monday.

“I knew it was going to be a fun weekend going in, but we were all blown away about how much fun we had and just the experience it was,” Vizzina said. “I think we really opened a lot of people’s eyes. The certain things that Coach Swinney says, he always has those long speeches, but he really elaborates on everything. Walking out, of course, I know what he’s all about, but the people that haven’t been there that many times walked away knowing what he really believes and everything.”

Vizzina is in agreement with St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.) four-star cornerback commit Branden Strozier, who told us yesterday that he believes the 2023 class is “about to heat up.”

“Absolutely,” he replied. “Like I said, I think this opened a lot of people’s eyes. I think after this weekend we should add some guys.”

Vizzina got a chance to put on his recruiting cap this weekend and really recruit some guys in person. A lot of that groundwork has happened through texting and over social media and whatnot, but this past weekend’s official visit allowed for him to do more of that and then some in person.

“That was one of my favorite things,” Vizzina said. “All the guys there were guys I’ve been texting throughout the past two months after I committed. Just getting to know them on text was cool, but to really hang out with these guys and get to know them off the field, that was one of the best things.”

Clemson’s staff views Vizzina as the leader of this class.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney brought Vizzina into his office on Friday.

“He sat me down and told me everyone that’s here, what they look like, where they’re from, what position, how many spots we have for that position and the people that he thought were really close,” Vizzina said. “I know that he thinks of me as the leader of the class and he knows I’m gonna give my best effort to get everybody we need.”

What does that mean to Vizzina?

“Me and him talk all the time about just all the recruiting things,” Vizzina continued. “Like I said, we talked about who is close and everything. I think he trusts me to really get on some guys, but really recruit them while we were hanging out. That’s what I wanted too. When I committed, I told everybody that I wanted to be the leader of the class.”

Vizzina informed us that a group chat was created for the 31 official visitors and everyone was pretty active in it, which he said made it that much more fun when they all got to meet each other in person.

“That group chat set the tone for the whole visit,” he said.

Vizzina is confident that Clemson should be adding some guys after this weekend.

5-star pass rusher talks Clemson offer

When Clemson formally turned the page to offering prospects in the 2024 class on Wednesday and started doling out offers to rising junior recruits, one of the first to report an offer from the Tigers was Buford (Ga.) 2024 five-star edge rusher Eddrick Houston.

“It was crazy for them to offer me this early,” Houston told The Clemson Insider on Sunday, regarding receiving the offer. “I was just amazed that my hard work paid off to get an early offer from them.

The nation’s No. 28 overall prospect in his class, per the 247Sports Composite, Houston announced the offer from the Tigers on Wednesday afternoon following a conversation with Clemson coach Dabo Swinney.

Houston was on campus with his teammate KJ Bolden, a fellow five-star and the nation’s No. 1 athlete in the class of 2024.

“We both got it at the same time and it was like the last offer we both wanted,” Houston said. 

“We know how hard it is to get an offer from Clemson and we were both excited when we heard the news. We couldn’t hold in our smiles, especially after we got an offer from Clemson.”

More on a Cincinnati commit who impressed at Swinney Camp

One of the most impressive wide receivers during the first two days of Dabo Swinney Camp this past week was Powell (TN.) 2023 three-star Ayden Greene.

And while Greene committed to the University of Cincinnati on his official visit this past weekend, we still wanted to pass along some updates on where Clemson stands with the impressive wideout.

The rising Volunteer State wideout impressed, as he was out to prove himself. His route running ability immediately jumped off the page, as well as his sure hands, as he was catching passes from some of the most talented signal-callers in the nation.

“It was great,” Greene told The Clemson Insider regarding his experience at Wednesday’s Swinney Camp. “I heard many things from Coach (Tyler) Grisham. He helped me critique things in my route running that will take my game to another level.”

According to Greene, Grisham said that he performed “great” and that Clemson’s wide receivers coach/recruiting coordinator will be in touch. This weekend, the Tigers hosted four wide receivers in the 2023 class on their official visits, including Edison (Miami, Fla.) four-star commit Nathaniel Joseph.

Generally speaking, if Clemson offers a recruit, it wants that offer to be committable. Though, Clemson did hand out an offer to Rockwall (TX.) four-star WR Noble Johnson, after he participated in the afternoon session of Thursday’s Swinney Camp.

When we spoke to Greene prior to him camping at Clemson, we asked him what it would mean to get a potential offer from a school like Clemson.

“It would mean a whole lot to me and my family,” Greene said at the time. “I don’t necessarily have a favorite team. I’ve never grown up having a favorite team or anything, but Clemson has always been somebody that I’ve kept up with, I’ve watched, I’ve always had an interest in…Me and my family, it’s always been a bucket list offer to get. It’d be pretty major.”

Heading into Wednesday, Greene was hopeful that he would leave with an offer, but he also wanted to leave feeling confident about what he showed he was capable of to Grisham

“I feel like I did great,” he said afterward. “I went my hardest and I left feeling good about it.”

When we asked Greene if he had discussed a potential offer with Clemson during his camp visit, he told us, “Time will tell.”

“I loved Clemson,” Greene added. “It’s (an) even better place than I thought it would be.”

For all intents and purposes, these interview(s) with Greene were conducted before he announced his commitment on Saturday.

Rising Peach State OL talks Swinney Camp experience

This big offensive lineman from the Peach State, who recently participated in Day 2 of the Dabo Swinney Camp, has seen his recruitment blow up over the past month.

Gabriel Fortson received his first offer from Georgia Tech on May 2. Between then and May 19, the 6-foot-4, 300-pound rising senior from North Cobb Christian School (Kennesaw, Ga.) racked up 18 more offers, including ACC and SEC offers from North Carolina, NC State, Duke, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Missouri.

Fortson participated in Thursday’s Swinney Camo and detailed his experience with The Clemson Insider. Forston also provided some of the feedback that received from Thomas Austin.

“He liked the way that I’m physical off the ball,” Fortson said of Clemson’s offensive line coach. “He said that I have great feet. He likes the way my hips move and everything.”

“He loved everything about me at camp,” Fortson continued. “He said he’ll give me a call within a couple of weeks or so and follow backup and things like that.”

What would it mean to Fortson if Clemson pulled the trigger on a potential scholarship offer?

“It’d mean a lot,” he said. “It’d immediately be one of my top schools in the list…I’d love to be a part of it.”

Staff Writer Gavin Oliver contributed to this week’s edition of The Insider Report.

Another Terrell is heading to Clemson

Clemson lands four-star corner Avieon Terrell

Clemson has added another important piece to their 2023 recruiting class.

Legacy recruit Avieon Terrell announced on Instagram Monday that he will be verbally committing to play football for the Clemson Tigers. Terrell chose the Tigers over four other options in Michigan State, Kentucky, Texas A&M and Auburn.

A four-star recruit, Avieon is the younger brother of former Clemson standout and current NFL star cornerback A.J. Terrell.

According to 247Sports composite rankings, the Westlake High School (Atlanta, GA.) product is currently their No.300 overall player and No.32 cornerback in the 2023 class. However, according to Rivals, Terrell is their No.107 overall player and No.16 ranked cornerback.

This signing is big news for the Tigers as Terrell joins Braden Strozier as the second cornerback for Clemson in this class and the fifth overall player committed.

Clemson will look to build on this solid start in the 2023 recruiting cycle.

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