Tag: clemson football recruiting

Priority local OL target hears from Clemson, plans to visit next month

This local offensive line target is among the prospects who have heard from Clemson since the calendar turned to Sept. 1, when college coaches across the country could begin directly contacting junior prospects in the class of 2024. Offensive line …

This local offensive line target is among the prospects who have heard from Clemson since the calendar turned to Sept. 1, when college coaches across the country could begin directly contacting junior prospects in the class of 2024.

Offensive line coach Thomas Austin and other members of the Tigers’ staff have reached out to Blake Franks, a four-star offensive lineman from Greenville (S.C.) High School.

“I got to talk to Coach Austin,” Franks told The Clemson Insider, “and a few other coaches introduced themselves to me.”

Austin let Franks know that he’s a priority target for the Tigers and expressed his intention to see the 6-foot-5, 310-pounder play in person this fall.

“He told me I’m a big priority,” Franks said, “and that he’s going to come to one of our games this year.”

Hearing that from Austin meant a lot to Franks, who hauled in an offer from Clemson in late July.

“It felt good to hear that I am a priority,” he said.

Franks, who participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp this summer and has visited Clemson multiple times since this past March, told TCI he’s planning to return to campus for the Tigers’ home game vs. NC State on Oct. 1.

Where does Clemson stand with the standout local lineman at this point in his recruiting process?

“I don’t know exactly yet who’s my top five,” he said, “but I definitely think that Clemson is high up there.”

Franks holds more than a dozen scholarship offers, including offers from schools such as Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Penn State and South Carolina along with Clemson.

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Coach Speak: Clemson making a move with 4-star Peach State safety

Even before midnight struck on Sept. 1, when college coaches across the country could have direct contact with junior prospects, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney had a scheduled call with a priority safety prospect in the class of 2024. According to Troup …

Even before midnight struck on Sept. 1, when college coaches across the country could have direct contact with junior prospects, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney had a scheduled call with a priority safety prospect in the class of 2024.

According to Troup County (Lagrange, Ga.) head coach Tanner Glisson, Swinney spoke with junior four-star safety Noah Dixon, who Clemson offered back on June 1.

“I just think those guys have definitely shown a very strong interest and he’s been up there before on campus and made relationships with coaches,” Glisson told The Clemson Insider Wednesday. “I think it’s a situation that he sees that fits him really well in what he’s looking for. I think he’s pretty excited about potentially looking at them as being the school that he goes to.”

Glisson thinks that Swinney’s willingness to set up a call with Dixon just hours before Clemson could directly reach out shows just how much of a priority he is to them.

“I think it’s showing a big-time priority,” Glisson said. “I know Coach (Mickey) Conn will be at our game this Friday. Obviously, he can only pick one game to go to pretty much and coming right out of the gate in the contact period, he’s choosing to come to Troup to watch him play. I think that immediately shows that he’s a high priority for (them).”

Dixon will be in attendance for Clemson’s season opener against Georgia Tech on Monday night, but Glisson said that it will be on the Yellow Jackets’ dime. It’s pretty convenient for Dixon with the game being at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, as Georgia Tech is another school that’s recruiting Dixon hard.

“It’s kind of a win-win for Georgia Tech and Clemson,” he said.

Dixon will almost certainly get up to Tiger Town for a game day visit at Memorial Stadium this fall. Glisson said that he spoke with Clemson’s co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach on the phone Wednesday and that they’re already looking at some dates to get him up there.

“Absolutely. 100%. He and Noah kind of mesh pretty well,” Glisson said of Conn. “They have similar personalities. They have similar belief systems. I think they mesh really, really good.”

“Noah’s mama was able to go up when he visited up at Clemson,” Glisson added. “I think Coach Conn and Coach Swinney and all those guys made a really good impression on mama. And Coach Hall as well. Lemanski Hall is from Lannett, Alabama, which is only 15 minutes from here. They have tremendous presence where we are.”

Conn, who will be in attendance for Troup County’s game against Callaway High School on Friday, will have a chance to watch Dixon, who is off to a great start to his junior campaign in just his second season of high school football.

“He’s played really well,” Glisson said of Dixon. “We’re off to a 2-0 start. I think the thing about it is, that he has a touchdown pass and a two-point conversion — that he caught playing wide receiver. But, from a defensive standpoint, he’s got several tackles. A lot of teams are just not throwing in his direction. They see him on one side of the field and they choose to go the other way, which is a good thing for us, as far as having somebody who takes away half the field. He’s gotten off to a good start. He’s gotten better and better. The thing is, he has all this year, plus another year. So, we’re looking for big things.”

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Big local lineman ‘would love to take’ another visit to Clemson this fall

Julius Tate wanted to go around to different camps this summer to see how much he could learn and improve himself. So, that’s what the 6-foot-4, 310-pound junior in the class of 2024 did, starting with the Dabo Swinney Camp on June 2. It was Tate’s …

Julius Tate wanted to go around to different camps this summer to see how much he could learn and improve himself.

So, that’s what the 6-foot-4, 310-pound junior in the class of 2024 did, starting with the Dabo Swinney Camp on June 2. 

It was Tate’s second time on Clemson’s campus in a mere matter of months. He visited Clemson to tour the facilities and take in a spring practice back on March 12.

In addition to Clemson, he camped at the University of Georgia and the University of South Carolina. He also took an unofficial visit to Louisville earlier this summer.

“When I went to the Clemson camp, it was an amazing experience,” Tate recently told The Clemson Insider. “I had eight teammates down there. I didn’t even realize they went with me. Went down there, got to meet Coach Thomas (Austin). I met a lot of coaches down there that I didn’t expect to meet. It was just great. Just being able to work with Coach Thomas, trying to improve myself, was amazing.”

“It was a great pleasure,” Tate added of meeting Austin. “When I got to talk to him, he had a great personality. He seems like a great coach. Just meeting him was awesome.”

Did anything, in particular, stand out to Tate about his experience at Clemson?

“The drills,” he replied. “Doing the drills at Clemson stuck out more to me because I felt like they were more advanced than when I went to Georgia. I felt Clemson’s camp had more to it. I feel like you took more home with you than what you came with.”

Tate said that the drills he participated in at the Dabo Swinney Camp, felt really similar to what he does at Train Built Performance with Amos Lamb. 

Clemson offensive linemen Jordan McFadden, Mitchell Mayes, Bryn Tucker, Collin Sadler and Mason Johnstone have all spent time working with Lamb. As well as Tate’s teammate at Greenville High, Blake Franks, who picked up an offer from the Tigers recently.

“Without Train Built, I wouldn’t be where I am now,” Tate said. “Train Built is amazing. You get to meet new guys and work out with them. You really build your knowledge with technique especially. Going down there, you can’t think of training as a punishment, but more of an improvement. Train Built is amazing.”

Tate said that Lamb tries to make the linemen that he trains as versatile as possible.

Tate starts at left guard for the Red Raiders, and he’ll shift around from both guard positions from time to time. Franks starts next to him at left tackle and also has the positional versatility to play both guard spots as well.

While Clemson may keep an eye on him during his junior campaign, Tate knows that he has to prove himself in the trenches to receive an offer from the in-state school.

“That’s what my goal is this season,” he said, “to prove myself.”

Tate, who holds offers from Miami (OH) and South Carolina State, understands that proving himself during his junior campaign will be pivotal to him and his recruitment going forward. 

“Getting my first offer from Miami University gave me hope because I felt like I wasn’t being seen,” Tate said. “But, after that offer, I continued to work harder because I felt that I was actually being looked at.”

Tate is very interested to see what schools may possibly reach out to him on Thursday, Sept. 1, once college coaches around the country can have direct contact with juniors in the class of 2024 like Tate.

He’s hoping that Clemson will be one of the schools that reach out. He’s also hoping that he can take a game day visit to Memorial Stadium this fall.

“I would love to take another visit to Clemson and actually see a game in person,” he said. “I’ve never seen a Clemson game in person before.

Dear Old Clemson has loaded up the online store with items like Myles Murphy signed cards and many items from our event for Clemson softball.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

First Clemson visit ‘was amazing’ for versatile Peach State athlete

A versatile athlete from the Peach State was all smiles during his first-ever visit to Tiger Town earlier this summer. Statesboro (Ga.) High School’s AJ Eason – a 5-foot-10, 190-pound prospect in the class of 2023 – was able to check out Clemson for …

A versatile athlete from the Peach State was all smiles during his first-ever visit to Tiger Town earlier this summer.

Statesboro (Ga.) High School’s AJ Eason – a 5-foot-10, 190-pound prospect in the class of 2023 – was able to check out Clemson for the first time when he participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp back in June.

“Just seeing the weight room and the facilities and stuff, it was amazing,” he said. “I couldn’t stop smiling.”

Eason classifies himself as a linebacker/running back/strong safety, per his Twitter profile, and he is playing outside linebacker and running back for his high school team this season.

At the Swinney Camp, though, Eason worked out with the safeties and Clemson safeties coach/co-defensive coordinator Mickey Conn.

“It was great,” Eason said of working with Conn. “He took me to the side and talked to me and told me what I was doing wrong and what I was doing right, so that the next time I went out there I could do it correctly.”

Eason felt good about his camp performance and the consistent effort he put forth during every rep. He enjoyed his Swinney Camp experience and left campus having learned new techniques that he could take with him and implement into his game.

“It was a great experience, just being able to be around the coaches and the other players and just being able to learn from them,” he said.

South Carolina State and Tuskegee University have offered Eason, while schools such as Akron, Furman, Austin Peay and Lenoir-Rhyne have shown interest in the talented Peach State recruit who describes himself as a “strong, athletic” player.

“I’m fast, I’m coachable,” he added. “I’m willing to take in criticism and keep playing.”

Eason hopes to prove what he’s capable of during his senior season and show college coaches that they could count on him to go all out and give 110 percent whenever he’s on the field.

“My speed from sideline to sideline, and then my effort – I give a lot of effort in each play,” he said. “I just want to show that I’m always going to give effort.”

–Photo courtesy of AJ Eason on Twitter (@Ajeason28)

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

4-star Tennessee athlete high on Clemson, hoping to hear from Tigers

Markeis Barrett hasn’t heard from Clemson since he participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp earlier this summer, but the 2024 four-star athlete out of the Webb School of Knoxville in Tennessee understands that the Tigers are big on relationships. He …

Markeis Barrett hasn’t heard from Clemson since he participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp earlier this summer, but the 2024 four-star athlete out of the Webb School of Knoxville in Tennessee understands that the Tigers are big on relationships. 

He mentioned how when he posts something on Twitter, assistant director of football operations, Jody Evans, will favorite his tweets. The other day, Barrett received a questionnaire from one of Clemson’s recruiting numbers, so he could fill out his information ahead of this Thursday, Sept. 1.

Barrett feels like Clemson will “definitely” reach out in the coming days and is hopeful to be back in contact with wide receivers coach, Tyler Grisham, again

“That would be big,” Barrett told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview last week. “That’s a school I want to hear from.”

Barrett has gotten off to a hot start to his junior campaign. In Week 1, he had over 100 yards receiving and a touchdown in a 46-21 win over Strawberry Plains (Tennessee) Carter High School. He followed up that performance with three receptions for 92 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in a 52-7 win over Corryton (Tenn.) Gibbs High School this past Friday.

Barrett admitted that he’ll have to take his game up a notch this season with opposing teams already keying on him. While that will allow for some of his other teammates to get touches, he has nearly 200 yards receiving and three touchdowns in his first two games.

“It ended up turning out pretty good,” Barrett said of his Week 1 performance. “With me playing both sides of the ball, it was tough, but I ended up getting through it. I’m more of an offensive type of guy and I play defense too in high school. Playing both sides of the ball can be pretty tiring, but I gotta play because we gotta win.”

Most college teams that are showing interest in Barrett are looking for the talented athlete to play the wide receiver position at the next level. He offered some perspective on how playing both receiver and defensive back can help him elevate his game.

“It helps me because when I’m playing defense we’re playing a lot of coverage and stuff like that, right?” he explained. “So, when I’m playing receiver, I like to see what coverage they’re in and whatever coverage they’re in, I adjust my routes. If they’re playing a seam, I try to find an open space. If they’re in cover 3, I try to make it to where the safety can’t get to me because I play the slot.”

Before the start of his junior campaign, Barrett added Power Five offers from Boston College and Tennessee. He also added offers from Austin Peay and Campbell University to his growing list, which includes schools like Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, Marshall, Miami (OH) and Vanderbilt.

Barrett will be in Vanderbilt twice this season, when the Commodores host No. 22 Wake Forest on Sept. 10 and the University of Tennessee on Nov. 26. He’ll also try to go see the Vols in Knoxville and check out an Austin Peay game as well.

He’s also hoping that after Sept. 1, he can set up a game day visit with Clemson’s coaching staff. He attended Clemson’s 30-20 win over Florida State last season and enjoyed everything that Memorial Stadium and the surrounding atmosphere had to offer.

“I enjoyed it a lot,” he said of last season’s Clemson visit. “It was everything that I thought it would be. The fans are crazy. The energy was crazy. The coaching staff is great. I got to see their warmups and how they coach their players. It was amazing. It’s something I want to be a part of.”

Dear Old Clemson has loaded up the online store with items like Myles Murphy signed cards and many items from our event for Clemson softball.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Catching up with Clemson 4-star CB commit

Branden Strozier had never started off his high school career 1-0. “To win the first game of my senior season, that felt real good,” he told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview last week. Now, Clemson’s four-star cornerback commit out of St. …

Branden Strozier had never started off his high school career 1-0.

“To win the first game of my senior season, that felt real good,” he told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview last week.

Now, Clemson’s four-star cornerback commit out of St. Francis High School (Georgia) can enjoy being 2-0 with his teammates, following a 21-13 win over Landmark Christian High (Georgia) this past Friday. 

Through two games, Strozier has recorded five tackles, three pass breakups, an interception and one reception for about 40 yards. With Strozier’s senior season getting off to a hot start, are there any goals that he has to finish out his final high school football campaign?

“One of my main goals, for me personally, is to win Region Player of the Year,” Strozier said. “I got Defensive Player of the Year last year, so it kind of adds an interesting aspect to it. A team goal — we want to first win the region. That’s the main goal. We haven’t done that yet. If we win the region, that’ll be real big for us.

He’s been able to give Clemson fans a glimpse of what he’s capable of in the backend of the secondary thus far. 

Mike Reed, who served as Strozier’s primary recruiter, already knows what he’s capable of. Regarding the messaging he’s heard from Clemson’s cornerbacks coach, Strozier said it’s about maintaining who he is as a player, being that same player who they recruited to come to Clemson and improving off of that.

Strozier estimates that he speaks to Reed and Wesley Goodwin about once or twice a week.

Strozier said that he’ll likely be at Clemson’s first two home games of the season. So, he’ll be at Memorial Stadium for when the Tigers play host to Furman and Louisiana Tech on consecutive Saturdays.

Having never experienced a Clemson gameday atmosphere before, it goes without saying that Strozier is excited about the upcoming season. He was in attendance for the program’s spring game back in April, but due to construction, there were no pregame traditions like running down the hill and things of that nature.

Speaking of being back in Tiger Town, Strozier detailed his last time on campus, which was for the program’s All-In Cookout at the end of July.

“It was great. Being able to see most of the class, except for Markus (Dixon), it was good to see everybody back together,” he said. “To see what we have built in this class in a three-month time period, it’s big. I don’t think it built up this fast last year. Having (Thompson five-star DL) Peter Woods, all the big names coming and great players, it feels good knowing I got them on my side.”

Since then, Clemson has added a few more verbal commitments to its 2023 recruiting class, with two of those coming in the secondary. Fellow Peach State natives, Milton four-star safety Rob Billings and Stockbridge three-star cornerback Shelton Lewis have joined Clemson’s class of 2023 commits.

“It’s good to know now, I’m pretty sure we can see in the DB group, that we got all the guys that we wanted,” Strozier said. “Just picked up Shelton. So, it’s good knowing that we don’t have to worry about too many changes now.”

Now, Strozier’s only worry is having a strong senior season.

— Photo for this article courtesy of @13randen_ and recruits.clemson on Instagram.

Dear Old Clemson has loaded up the online store with items like Myles Murphy signed cards and many items from our event for Clemson softball.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

The Insider Report: Upcoming visitors, what’s next for Clemson’s 2023 class and more

It’s time for this week’s edition of The Insider Report. We hope everyone had a great weekend. Notes on Clemson commits If you’ve been following our recruiting coverage as of late, you’d know that we’ve spoken to a couple of high school head …

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

We hope everyone had a great weekend.

Notes on Clemson commits

If you’ve been following our recruiting coverage as of late, you’d know that we’ve spoken to a couple of high school head coaches, who coach Clemson’s class of 2023 commits. 

We spoke to both Matthew Forester, who coaches five-star quarterback Christopher Vizzina at Birmingham (Alabama) Briarwood Christian School and Ben Reaves, who coaches four-star safety Robert Billings at Alpharetta (Georgia) Milton High School.

With Forester, we asked Briarwood’s head coach about the usage of the run-pass option in the Lions’ offense and how it could benefit Vizzina before he heads off to Clemson.

“That’s something I think for me personally, I got comfortable with this year,” Forester said. “And so, we’re doing a pretty good bit of that throughout the summer and fall camp. It’s something that as the season goes, we’ll bring more and more into that. A couple of big catches from (Week 1) were just RPOs and him reading an out.”

The run-pass option has been a fixture in Clemson’s offense for quite some time now, so getting comfortable with those types of offensive concepts would certainly benefit Vizzina before he graduates into a college offense in January.

“I think it’ll be a neat thing,” Forester continued. “I think (Brandon) Streeter will use that. I think it’ll be an enjoyable part of his growth. I think it’ll be something when he goes to Clemson, there won’t be a concept that he doesn’t feel comfortable translating high school into Clemson.” 

Talking with Reaves, the line of questioning was similar in the sense that it revolved around Billings at the next level, but he gave a better feel for what his expectations are and what position we could see the big-time safety play at the next.

“What he’s got going for him is that he’s got such a big frame,” Reaves said. “He’s so long and so fast, that they can literally mold him into whatever they want him to be. Anywhere from a safety to potentially an outside backer, just because he’s got the body that can do it. The body that can handle it. And the skills to go along with it. 

“I think ultimately, he’s gonna be best fit being a strong safety because that’s just gonna put him closer to contact and that’s what he’s good at — finding the ball, getting to the ball and knocking the crap out of somebody, play after play. I think ultimately that’ll be a role that’ll fit him and he’ll enjoy.”

Commit on what’s next for Clemson’s 2023 class

Speaking of Clemson’s class of 2023 commits, we recently spoke with Alpharetta (Georgia) St Francis High’s Branden Strozier. While the four-star cornerback has enjoyed a strong start to his senior season, we asked him about the uncommitted prospects that he and the rest of the commits are focused on recruiting at the moment.

While we’ve already shed light on those two prospects, Strozier offered his thoughts on recruiting both Phenix City (Alabama) Central high four-star defensive end Tomarrion Parker and Suwanee (Georgia) North Gwinnett high four-star defensive lineman Kayden McDonald.

Parker, who picked up an offer from Clemson on Aug. 11, has already set two gameday visits. As we previously reported, Parker will be on campus for Clemson’s home opener against Furman on Sept. 10 for an unofficial visit. He’ll return to Tiger Town the weekend of Oct. 22 for Clemson’s game against Syracuse.

As for McDonald, who reported a Clemson offer back in May, he announced a commitment date of Oct. 31. Right now, McDonald is set to take his official visit the weekend of Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, for the South Carolina game. Likely, McDonald will also make his way back up to Clemson for a game day visit before he ultimately makes his decision.

“That’s the ones that we are really trying to get,” Strozier said. “Because before them, we were focused on getting Ronan (Hanafin). Once we got Ronan, they are the priorities now. That’s what we are looking to get.”

Prospects lining up game-day visits

We wanted to shed some light on some upcoming game day visits. We fully expect Willis (Texas) five-star quarterback DJ Lagway and Jefferson (Georgia) five-star linebacker Sammy Brown to make gameday visits this fall. Neither one has officially set a date, but the expectation is that it will be settled after Sept. 1, when Clemson’s coaching staff can directly contact both junior prospects.

One prospect that has already set a game day visit, as we previously reported, is Fort Lauderdale (Florida) St. Thomas Aquinas four-star wide receiver James Madison II, who will be at Memorial Stadium for the Clemson-N.C. State game on Saturday, Oct. 1.

“I’m really excited,” Madison said. “I know they go all in for game days. I’m really excited to be up there.”

Another prospect that plans on making a game-day visit to Memorial Stadium this fall is Buford (Georgia) four-star linebacker Jadon Perlotte. The sophomore in the class of 2025 was looking at visiting Clemson this summer, but that didn’t end up materializing.

While he wasn’t able to say which game he was attending, Perlotte said that it’ll be one of Clemson’s first games. It’ll be his first time in Tiger Town since March 12.

Perlotte (6-4, 210) currently ranks as the nation’s No. 5 linebacker and the No. 33 overall prospect in the class of 2025, per the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Time for Clemson fans to make sure the Tigers are competitive with South Carolina in NIL for baseball.

Come out to support Clemson baseball at Dear Old Clemson’s event on September 30 at the Madren Conference Center. New head coach Erik Bakich will speak and most of next year’s team will be on hand. Get your tickets today or sign up for the Orange level or higher of the Tiger Club to get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events. Dear Old Clemson.

4-star in-state OL commits elsewhere

A four-star, in-state offensive lineman committed elsewhere on Monday night. Oceanside Collegiate Academy (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) tackle Monroe Freeling announced his verbal pledge to Georgia, choosing the Bulldogs over stated finalists Clemson, …

A four-star, in-state offensive lineman committed elsewhere on Monday night.

Oceanside Collegiate Academy (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) tackle Monroe Freeling announced his verbal pledge to Georgia, choosing the Bulldogs over stated finalists Clemson, Florida, Miami and Alabama.

Freeling received an offer from Clemson after competing at the Dabo Swinney Camp in June 2021 and had been on the Tigers’ radar early, though he wasn’t recently.

The 6-foot-7, 285-pound senior is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the state of South Carolina, No. 8 offensive tackle nationally and No. 63 overall prospect in the 2023 class, per the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Clemson owns commitments from three offensive linemen — Permian High School (Odessa, Texas) four-star Harris Sewell, Vandegrift High School (Austin, Texas) four-star Ian Reed and Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, Ga.) four-star Zechariah Owens — each of whom is ranked as a top-150 national prospect, regardless of position, by at least one of the major recruiting services.

Offer from Clemson ‘would mean the world’ to 4-star Georgia linebacker

For a second recruiting cycle in a row, Clemson and Wesley Goodwin have been eying the Peach State for linebacker help. Earlier this summer, Goodwin went into the state of Georgia and secured the commitments of Dee Crayton and Jamal Anderson. Now, …

For a second recruiting cycle in a row, Clemson and Wesley Goodwin have been eying the Peach State for linebacker help.

Earlier this summer, Goodwin went into the state of Georgia and secured the commitments of Dee Crayton and Jamal Anderson. Now, the Tigers have shifted their attention to the class of 2024 and are focused on a new four-star linebacker target — Wendell Gregory — a name that Clemson fans are going to want to remember.

Gregory — a 6-foot-4, 215-pound linebacker out of Marietta (Georgia) Walton High School — currently ranks as the nation’s No. 13 linebacker in the class of 2024, per 247Sports.

“I went to visit and toured the campus,” Gregory told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview recently. “I talked to Coach Goodwin — I had great talks with him. I’ve been texting the coaches here and there, keeping up with fall camp and stuff like that.”

Gregory had the chance to visit Clemson toward the end of the summer and spent his time in Tiger Town with Clemson’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.

“It was really nice,” Gregory said regarding his Clemson visit. “Coach Goodwin, he’s a down-to-earth person. We went to dinner and we talked a lot. We talked about how (if) when I come in here as a freshman year, how he’d want to play me. I’m a big fan of Isaiah Simmons. I want to play just like him, basically.”

Gregory, like Simmons, can do a lot of things for you defensively. He said that Simmons has inspired his defensive game, which is still relatively new. While Gregory can come off the edge and play in space like the former Clemson star, he’s only played defense since the third game of his sophomore season.

Seeing what Simmons was able to accomplish at Clemson, which led to him becoming a first-round draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals, is part of the reason why Gregory is so high on Dabo Swinney’s program.

Was there anything about Gregory’s visit to Clemson that stood out to him?

“Of course, they have a nice weight room,” he said. “I walked in there — kids are on vacation — and I see everybody else that’s there on campus, just getting extra work. Just trying to be better. Getting on the field, doing drills, stretching and this and that. When everybody else is at home, they’re still trying to work. I just like that work ethic they got. I talked to all the coaches, I liked how they talked. I love how they communicate.”

He did communicate with Goodwin regarding a potential offer. According to Gregory, Goodwin was talking about how Clemson has offered a lot of 2023, so once Sept. 1 rolls around, he’s gonna get back to the Peach State linebacker immediately. 

“That would mean the world,” Gregory said regarding a potential scholarship offer from Clemson. “Most def. I need that.”

In any event, Gregory will be at Clemson for a gameday experience this fall. He indicated that come Sept. 1, he’ll talk with Goodwin and they’ll set up a date for him to make his way back for a game at Memorial Stadium.

As of now, the only visit that Gregory has set is to Auburn for its matchup against Penn State on Sept. 17.

As far as Gregory’s current recruitment is concerned, he described that things have been crazy. That’s even before this coming Thursday, Sept. 1, which will be even more hectic for Gregory, once college coaches can directly contact juniors.

In addition to Clemson, Gregory mentions South Carolina, Auburn, UNC and Michigan State, as the schools that are showing the most interest in him at the moment. In fact, he announced an offer from Auburn back on Thursday, Aug. 25.

“Honestly, I want to go to a school freshman year and start,” Gregory said when asked what he’s looking for in a school at the next level. “That’s what I’m trying to do. That’s what I’m looking for. Everything else will come with it.”

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

Dear Old Clemson has loaded up the online store with items like Myles Murphy signed cards and many items from our event for Clemson softball.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

South Carolina’s top recruit sets commitment date

4-star OT Monroe Freeling has set his commitment date. Freeling is considering Clemson, Miami, Georgia, Florida, and more.

The Georgia Bulldogs are hoping to add a commitment from the highest-ranked recruit in South Carolina. Monroe Freeling is a tall, lengthy four-star offensive tackle from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, which is just outside of Charleston.

Freeling plans to announce where he will play college football on Aug. 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The four-star offensive line prospect will decide among Georgia, Alabama, Clemson, Florida, and Miami.

Monroe Freeling plays high school football for Oceanside Collegiate Academy. The 6-foot-7, 285-pound offensive tackle recruit is a member of the class of 2023. Freeling is currently projected to commit to the Georgia Bulldogs per 247Sports.

The Oceanside star is the No. 13 offensive tackle prospect in the class of 2023 and is rated as the No. 80 recruit. Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs currently have commitments from several players along the offensive line including in-state offensive tackle Bo Hughley.

Monroe Freeling will continue adding to his frame before he plays college football in 2023. The talented offensive tackle has recently visited Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Miami.

The touted offensive tackle also plays basketball. He shows great athleticism, mobility and footwork for someone of his size. Check out a few of his dunks and a ferocious block from one game during the 2021-2022 high school basketball season:

South Carolina’s top recruit committing to the Georgia Bulldogs would be fitting. The Clemson Tigers have added commitments from some of the top players in Georgia, so it is only fair that the Bulldogs return the favor.

[listicle id=76935]

[vertical-gallery id=76830]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz2y40j067srkf player_id=none image=https://ugawire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]