clemson football recruiting – Page 5

Recruits react to Clemson’s big win over Florida State

After Clemson’s 34-28 win over Florida State at Doak S. Campbell Stadium on Saturday night, The Clemson Insider reached out to various Clemson commits and other prospects to get their reactions to the team’s latest win. Here’s what some recruits had …

Here’s what some recruits had to say:

Clemson commit A.J. Hoffler. 2023 four-star defensive end, Woodward Academy (College Park, Ga.): “Not too surprised we won. It’s what I expect on a week-to-week basis and the d-line continues to keep dominating the opposing o-line which is getting me real excited to get up there and be a part of it!”

Clemson commit Branden Strozier, 2023 four-star cornerback, St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.): “It was a great game in my opinion, for them to come play in an environment like that and make the plays that they did was really big.”

Khalil Barnes, 2023 three-star defensive back, North Oconee (Bogart, Ga.): “Very impressive. Never seems like Clemson loses their cool. Always poised and they played against the refs tonight too, so that’s a huge win.

Adonis McDaniel, 2023 wide receiver, Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.): “Honestly, was a great game. Glad we pulled it out and got the W. Everybody was making plays, which helps the team in different situations. Some might have made the best plays but made the play the team needed. It was also good to see my guy (freshman wide receiver) Antonio (Williams) get in the box again for a touchdown last night. It’s always good to see S.C. ballers making plays at the next level, like how (Tennesee WR) Jaylin Hyatt had a big game last night — that’s what we need. I feel like people like them are going to help draw more attention for us athletes in South Carolina.”

Sammy Brown, 2024 five-star linebacker, Jefferson (Ga.): “I thought that the offense and defense played great. Maybe let up a little at the end, but a W is a W. Great to go into their house and silence them!”

Wendell Gregory, 2024 four-star linebacker, Walton (Marietta, Ga.): “Win was electric. Amazing team win.”

Alex Taylor, 2024 four-star wide receiver, Grimsley (Greensboro, N.C.): “Offense looked really great, slowed down in the second half but still looked good, and defense played alright but getting all the guys healthy in the next weeks they should be back to one of the best in the nation, but D.J. (Uiagalelei) looked sharp and very confident.”

Fletcher Westphal, 2024 four-star offensive lineman, Tuscarora (Leesburg, Va.): “I didn’t see the game, but I’m not surprised by the win. Looking at the score looks like Florida State put up a good fight

Ian Flynt, 2024 three-star tight end, Taylor (Katy, TX.): “It was good to see them continue on that winning streak, just steam-rolling everyone. What was cool to see was (sophomore running back) Will Shipleyu continually doing his thing and also getting to see the offense continually using (senior tight end) Davis Allen as a vertical weapon.”

Blake Frazier, 2024 offensive lineman, Vandegrift (Austin, TX.): “It was a great game. Lots of back and forth between the teams, but Will Shipley had an amazing game and the offense as a whole just dominated. Excited to see what they can do next week against Syracuse.”

Israel Boyce,2024 defensive back, Douglas County (Douglasville, Ga.): “It was a great win both offense and defense started to click after halftime. It was a little shaky in the first half but I knew they were going to come out the next half locked in.”

Cortez Smith, 2025 offensive lineman, Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.): “I thought it was an awesome win!! They kept fighting and continued to play hard!! I love it!!!”

Julian Lewis, 2026 quarterback, Carrolton (Ga.): “That was my first time seeing Clemson on the road. Impressed by how they competed and their toughness on offense.”

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce limited edition signed cards from the freshmen football players are now in our online store. There are only 100 of each signed.

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!

Priority DE target names Clemson among top teams, sets commitment date

One of Clemson’s top defensive end targets in the class of 2023 dropped his final four schools on Friday afternoon via social media. Phenix City (Ala.) Central High four-star Tomarrion Parker is down to Clemson, Penn State, Texas A&M and Tennessee. …

One of Clemson’s top defensive end targets in the class of 2023 dropped his final four schools on Friday afternoon via social media.

Phenix City (Ala.) Central High four-star Tomarrion Parker is down to Clemson, Penn State, Texas A&M and Tennessee. Parker also announced a commitment date of Nov. 21.

“I always wanted to say that Clemson offered,” Parker told The Clemson Insider shortly after being offered. “We’ve been talking for a little while and once I decommitted, some of the commits, some of my friends that I know — Peter Woods and (Christopher) Vizzina — they hit me up and they was like, ‘Bro, would you be interested in Clemson?’

“Are you kidding me? Of course!”

Since Clemson has re-entered the picture, what has defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall’s message been to Parker?

“He’s losing four guys (Xavier Thomas, KJ Henry, Myles Murphy and Justin Mascoll) this year to the NFL, so he needs players who are ready to come in and play early, play right away,” Parker said, “and he feels like I’m a guy that can do that. He’s gonna recruit me hard and I really like that and respect that — saying that the defensive room is open next year. That’s a great opportunity to go into.”

After receiving an offer from Clemson on Aug. 11, Parker set up two visits to Death Valley — an unofficial visit for the Furman game and an official visit for the Syracuse game on October 22.

Coming out of last month’s visit, Clemson appears to be in a great spot with Parker.

Parker is set to be in Tennessee this weekend.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjs4ATWsb-d/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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

What recruiting rankings tell us about the Clemson-Florida State matchup

The Clemson Insider thought it would be interesting to analyze the matchups on Clemson’s 2022 schedule from a recruiting standpoint by going back and looking at where the Tigers’ projected starters were ranked as recruits versus where the projected …

In this article, we break down Clemson’s game against Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Below is a rundown of the projected starters for both teams, as it stands now, and their high school star ratings and prospect rankings according to the 247Sports Composite:

Clemson offense:

LT – Jordan McFadden (3-star, No. 819 national, No. 66 OT)

LG – Marcus Tate (4-star, No. 127 national, No. 8 IOL)

C – Will Putnam (4-star, No. 101 national, No. 5 OG)

RG – Walker Parks (4-star, No. 50 national, No. 5 OT)

RT – Blake Miller (4-star, No. 208 national, No. 16 OT)

TE – Davis Allen (3-star, No. 807 national, No. 39 TE)

WR – Joseph Ngata (4-star, No. 52 national, No. 9 WR)

QB – D.J. Uiagalelei (5-star, No. 10 national, No. 1 PRO)

RB – Will Shipley (5-star, No 32 national, No. 2 RB)

WR – Antonio Williams (4-star, No. 61 national, No. 6 WR)

WR – Beaux Collins (4-star, No. 86 national, No. 12 WR)

Clemson defense:

DE – K.J. Henry (5-star, No. 14 national, No. 3 WDE)

or DE – Xavier Thomas (5-star, No. 3 national, No. 1 SDE)

DT – Bryan Bresee (5-star, No. 1 national, No. 1 DT)

or DT – Ruke Orhorhoro (3-star, No. 745 national, No. 49 SDE)

DT – Tyler Davis (4-star, No. 137 national, No. 12 DT)

or DT – Ruke Orhorhoro

DE – Myles Murphy (5-star, No. 7 national, No. 1 SDE)

or DE – Justin Mascoll (4-star, No. 142 national, No. 9 WDE)

SLB/NB – Barrett Carter (5-star, No. 33 national, No. 3 LB)

MLB – Jeremiah Trotter, Jr. (4-star, No. 37 national, No. 5 LB)

or MLB – Keith Maguire (3-star, No. 442 national, No. 26 OLB)

WLB – Trenton Simpson (5-star, No. 26 national, No. 1 OLB)

CB – Sheridan Jones (4-star, No. 130 national, No. 15 CB)

or CB – Andrew Mukuba (4-star, No. 167 national, No. 8 S)

SS – Andrew Mukuba

FS – Jalyn Phillips (3-star, No. 448 national, No. 37 S)

or FS – Tyler Venables (3-star, No. 1127 national, No. 81 S)

CB – Nate Wiggins (4-star, No. 118 national, No. 7 CB)

or CB – Andrew Mukuba

Florida State offense:

QB – Jordan Travis (3-star, No. 889 national, No. 25 DUAL)

RB – Treshaun Ward (3-star, No. 1267 national, No. 84 RB)

or RB – Trey Benson (3-star, No. 375 national, No. 27 RB)

WR – Mycah Pittman (4-star, No. 94 national, No. 15 WR)

WR – Ontaria Wilson (3-star, No. 740 national, No. 75 CB)

WR – Johnny Wilson (4-star, No. 116 national, No. 21 WR)

TE – Camren McDonald (4-star, No. 290 national, No. 15 TE)

LT – Robert Scott, Jr. (2-star, No. 508 national, No. 39 OT)

or LT – Darius Washington (3-star, No. 502 national, No. 38 OT)

LG – Dillan Gibbons (3-star, No. 374 national, No. 38 OT)

C – Maurice Smith (3-star, No. 1093 national, No. 58 OG)

RG – D’Mitri Emmanuel (3-star, No. 1721 national, No. 81 OG)

or RG – Darius Washington

RT – Jazton Turnetine (3-star, No. 46 national, No. 6 OT — JUCO)

Florida State defense:

DE – Derrick McLendon II (3-star, No. 495 national, No. 37 WDE)

or DE – Jared Verse (NR)

DT – Fabien Lovett (3-star, No. 436 national, No. 18 SDE)

or DT – Jarrett Jackson (3-star, No. 848 national, No. 41 SDE)

NT – Robert Cooper (4-star, No. 117 national, No. 9 DT)

FOX – Dennis Briggs, Jr. (4-star, No. 325 national, No. 25 DT)

LB – Kalen DeLoach (4-star, No. 221 national, No. 13 OLB)

LB – Tatum Bethune (3-star, No. 1370 national, No. 101 OLB)

CB – Omarion Cooper (4-star, No. 285 national, No. 23 CB)

BUCK – Akeem Dent (4-star, No. 50 national, No. 7 CB)

FS – Jammie Robinson (3-star, No. 393 national, No. 32 S)

NB – Kevin Knowles II (3-star, No. 588 national, No. 48 CB)

CB – Renardo Green (3-star, No. 486 national, No. 47 CB)

Notes:

As you might expect, a look at Florida State’s projected starters and where they ranked as recruits show that the Seminoles are clearly one of, if not the most talented team Clemson will face during the regular season, at least on paper. FSU has a total of eight former four-star prospects among its projected starters. Meanwhile, the Tigers’ projected starting lineups consists of14 former four-star prospects and eight former five-stars.

**All ratings/rankings according to the 247Sports Composite

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

Big-time Peach State lineman high on Clemson after latest visit

It’s no secret that Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.) offensive lineman Cortez Smith is a fan of Clemson. The 6-foot-4, 295-pound sophomore in the class of 2025 was on campus for Clemson’s 48-20 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Sept. 17, along with two of …

It’s no secret that Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.) offensive lineman Cortez Smith is a fan of Clemson.

The 6-foot-4, 295-pound sophomore in the class of 2025 was on campus for Clemson’s 48-20 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Sept. 17, along with two of his teammates — one of them being a five-star athlete in Mike Matthews.

“It was amazing,” Smith told The Clemson Insider regarding his experience. “Especially the part where we got to see them run down the hill. It was so energetic. It was loud. It was a great game too. Clemson’s a great place.”

Did anything stand out about Clemson’s game-day environment?

“It’s got to be when they ran down the hill,” Smith explained “That’s the best part of the game right there. It was loud. You could just feel the energy (from the top of the hill). The whole crowd was cheering for them.”

Smith had the chance to speak with Clemson offensive line coach Thomas Austin before the game, as well as co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Mickey Conn.

Every time Smith sees Austin, their relationship seemingly gets better. He’s quickly becoming a primary target for Clemson in the class of 2025, even if he’ll have to likely wait until next June for that offer to come. With that said, Smith plans to pay Clemson plenty of more visits in the future.

“I feel like I’ve known him forever now,” Smith said of his relationship with Austin. “I come back almost every year.”

Following his Clemson visit, Smith was in attendance for the University of Georgia’s 39-22 win over Kent State back on Sept. 24. He also made his way to Georgia Tech and was on hand for the Yellowjackets’ 23-20 win over Duke this past Saturday, Oct. 8.

Smith, who currently holds offers from Penn State, Louisville and Pitt, is unsure what remaining visits entail, but he’s hoping to get back for another Clemson game this season.

“I’m pretty sure I’ll come back for another,” he said. “Of course, (I would come back). It was amazing.”

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

Clemson in hot pursuit of 4-star Peach State TE

Clemson’s tight end recruiting in the class of 2024 is only getting started and The Clemson Insider has the latest on a name worth monitoring in Carrollton (Ga.) four-star Caleb Odom. TCI recently caught up with Odom, who was one of the top …

Clemson’s tight end recruiting in the class of 2024 is only getting started and The Clemson Insider has the latest on a name worth monitoring in Carrollton (Ga.) four-star Caleb Odom.

TCI recently caught up with Odom, who was one of the top prospects in attendance for Clemson’s 30-20 win over NC State at Death Valley on Saturday, Oct. 1.

“It was crazy,” Odom said in a phone interview recently regarding his visit. “The atmosphere was just electric. It was just insane. I just felt like the crowd was crazy. I don’t know, I’ve never seen something like the pregame, how they roll out of the buses and run down the hill. That kind of stood out to me, definitely the pregame. I just felt like the fans were cheering nonstop. I just felt like it was crazy.”

It was a great game for Clemson to play host to a tight end recruit like Odom because the Tigers’ tight ends, Davis Allen and Jake Briningstool, combined for 75 yards and a touchdown in the win. Allen would also later be named Clemson’s Offensive Player of the Game.

“It was actually crazy,” he said. “I got to talk to Davis Allen before the game. I actually knew him. He went to Calhoun and one of my teachers knew him from a connection. I was able to talk to him for a little bit. Watching them use the tight ends, especially in that game, but also in Wake Forest, they were able to do a lot with them. I like the type of gameplan they have for their tight ends.”

Odom got his first feel for Dabo Swinney’s program as soon as he stepped foot on campus.

“When all the recruits first got there, Coach Swinney gave a big speech,” Odom said. “He was just talking about how Clemson is a place where you’ll be able to build relationships beyond football and just how education is very important. I feel like that was very important to me because it could be a place where I’d be wanting to go as a home.”

Odom has been in constant contact with Kyle Richardson since Sept. 1. It was Clemson’s tight ends coach who extended Odom the invitation to the NC State game and made sure he spoke with him at length during his first trip to The Valley.

“It was good to finally see who I was talking to,” Odom said.

Odom said that his relationship with Richardson is one of the better ones that he currently has and that it was nice to finally put a name to a face.

“He was just telling me that they love what they see on film and stuff,” Odom recalled of his conversation with Richardson. “He was telling me that they take the offer process really slowly. He was gonna give me a call later (last) week, so hopefully it’s good news. He was just telling me that they were glad to have me down.”

According to Odom, Richardson said that he likes his ability as a route runner for his size, standing at 6-foot-6, 215 pounds, but Clemson’s tight ends coach also like his ability to go up and make contested catches.

In any event, Odom did say that Richardson told him that he’s an offer-worthy prospect.

“Hopefully they will offer soon, though, I would really love it,” he said regarding a potential offer from Clemson. “Just knowing how they treat the players outside of football… Just knowing I can be in an environment like that, especially during game days with the crowd. A place like Death Valley is just crazy.”

Odom said he talked to Richardson the other day about getting up for the Clemson-Miami game on Nov. 19.

“I’m definitely gonna try to get back up for that game,” Odom added.

In addition to Clemson, Odom mentions that schools like LSU, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and North Carolina, as well as a lot of other SEC and ACC programs, have been showing extensive interest.

Odom, the nation’s No. 14 overall tight end in the class of 2024, per the 247Sports Composite rankings, is a self-described route-running technician, who hones in on his blocking abilities on the perimeter. He mostly plays receiver at Carrollton, but he’s the type of player that’s gonna get after it on every play.

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

LB recruit, brother of freshman Tiger: Clemson is ‘special’

Clemson has made a big impression on this talented linebacker prospect, whose older brother is a freshman on the Tigers’ football team. Jesuit High School (Tampa, Fla.) junior Drew Woodaz – a 6-foot-3, 190-pound recruit in the class of 2024 – has …

Clemson has made a big impression on this talented linebacker prospect, whose older brother is a freshman on the Tigers’ football team.

Jesuit High School (Tampa, Fla.) junior Drew Woodaz – a 6-foot-3, 190-pound recruit in the class of 2024 – has been blown away by his experiences in Tiger Town.

Drew is the younger brother of Clemson freshman linebacker Wade Woodaz, and Drew has made multiple unofficial recruiting visits to Death Valley this season. He also attended the Orange & White spring game back in April before competing at the Dabo Swinney Camp in June.

“It gets better every single time I go there,” Drew said in a recent interview with The Clemson Insider. “I mean, it’s an unreal place. It’s special. Having my brother there, it’s nice to always have someone on the inside, telling me how he feels about it, and I haven’t heard him say a single bad thing.”

Added Drew of his brother’s experience at Clemson thus far: “He loves it. I call him at least once a week and I just ask him, I’m like, ‘How is it?’ He hasn’t said a single bad thing once.”

2024 LB Drew Woodaz (left) and Clemson LB Wade Woodaz during pregame of the Tigers’ spring game Saturday, April 9, 2022 at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium. Bart Boatwright/The Clemson Insider

When Drew participated in the Swinney Camp this summer, he drew positive feedback about his camp performance from Clemson defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Wes Goodwin.

Drew called it “a great honor” to get a good camp review from a high-level coach like Goodwin.

“He always tells me, keep working,” Drew said. “When I went to the camp up there this summer, he said that I performed very well.”

As for what stands out most to Drew about Swinney’s program, it’s the culture that Clemson’s head coach has created and how his players are “All In.”

“The way Dabo runs things is perfect,” Drew said. “Everyone buys in. Last year, no one opted out for the bowl game unless they were injured, which shows you a lot about the program. That’s special, and I think that’s what really draws me to the program.”

Drew has collected double-digit Division I FBS offers, including ones from Power Five programs in Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, Louisville, Virginia Tech, Kansas, Missouri and Vanderbilt.

If Drew were to receive an offer from Clemson in the future, the chance to follow in his brother’s footsteps as a Tiger – and carve out his own legacy at the same time – would be “surreal” for him.

“I think it would be crazy, because it’s been a dream since I was a kid, and it would be surreal,” he said. “It would be fun to follow in my brother’s footsteps, but to create my own path and become my own person and just be myself and really show people what type of player I am.”

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

Priority defensive back target gives the latest on recruitment

Since reopening his recruitment and decommitting from Wake Forest on Oct. 3, Khalil Barnes has heard from a myriad of college coaches. No other schools besides Clemson have pulled the trigger on a scholarship offer, but the three-star defensive back …

Since reopening his recruitment and decommitting from Wake Forest on Oct. 3, Khalil Barnes has heard from a myriad of college coaches.

No other schools besides Clemson have pulled the trigger on a scholarship offer, but the three-star defensive back out of Bogart (Ga.) North Oconee High, has received extensive interest from programs like Ole Miss, Georgia and Georgia Tech.

“It’s kind of the same as it’s been, Wake and Clemson are definitely recruiting me the hardest and showing me the most interest,” Barnes told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview recently.

Ever since Clemson offered Barnes on Sept. 22, he’s been in constant contact with defensive coordinator Wesley Goodwin and co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Mickey Conn. He said that his conversations with Goodwin and Conn are more personable, that they don’t talk about football.

“I feel like I talk to him the most out of any coach from up there,” Barnes said of Conn. “I can call him and we can probably talk about what I had for lunch and have a good conversation. He always lets me know that at Clemson, they really want me. He feels that I’m the guy that they need to have with this recruiting class. It’s good talks for sure.”

Barnes said that Conn has outlined what role he would potentially play in Clemson’s defense, which would be similar to that of Andrew Mukuba. Barnes would learn the nickel back position, as well as the “star” position, which is more of a hybrid safety role. He said that he would also learn Clemson’s corner calls and since he’s worked at corner in high school, it would be a natural fit for him.

“I can go up there and I’d have the chance to compete to play early,” he said. “I can play any of those positions they need me to, which is what they expect out of me.”

Barnes will return to Clemson next weekend for the Syracuse game on Oct. 22. This will be an unofficial visit and he’ll be accompanied by his high school coaches, who have coached with Conn, as well as his father. Barnes will then make his way back for the South Carolina game on Nov. 26 and take an official visit that weekend.

It sounds like Clemson will play host to its class of 2023 commits that weekend, so it’ll give Barnes a chance to be around some of those guys.

Barnes has been in contact with a few Clemson commits: Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek four-star linebacker Jamal Anderson, Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood Christain School five-star quarterback Christopher Vizizna and St. John’s College High (Washington, D.C.) four-star defensive end David Ojiegbe.

“I talk to Jamal, he’s recruiting me pretty hard,” Barnes said of Anderson. “He always lets me know that Clemson is the place to be. Me and him used to talk about how we wanted to play with each other, he tells me we got the chance there. He definitely recruits me pretty hard.”

Like Barnes, half of Clemson’s class of 2023 commits hail from the Peach State.

“I definitely look at it just in case Clemson is the place,” he said. “It’d be a lot of familiarity with who I’d be around and just the kind of guys I’d be on the team with. They also got a lot of guys on their team from Georgia. That’d be cool. Again, they got dudes like David (Ojiegbe), who I met my first time down at Clemson, me and him built a pretty good bond. If I did go there, I would feel like I wouldn’t have trouble building relationships and being cool with the other guys and all.”

As far as a decision timeline is concerned, Barnes imagines that it’ll likely come close to the early signing period. He’s hoping to be a mid-year enrollee and said that all the schools he’s been in contact with will be able to accommodate him on that.

“You can’t be wrong,” Barnes said. “You really gotta make sure you make the right decision for this one.”

When it’s time for Barnes to sit down and make his college decision, what are going to be some of the more important factors that he’s looking for in a school at the next level?

“A lot of things that go further than football,” he said. “For one, I want to go to a place where I can build my faith and there won’t be any kind of dropoff. Two, I want to go to a place where graduating is a must kind of thing. I don’t just want to go there and be a good football player and have a chance to go to the NFL, then fall out and not have any backup plan. I want to go somewhere where they’re gonna make sure I’m set for life after football. Three, just the opportunity on how early I can have the chance to compete.”

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

In-state OL, top-100 prospect can see himself playing for Tigers

A highly touted Clemson in-state offensive line target returned to Tiger Town two weekends ago. Dillon (S.C.) High School four-star tackle Josiah Thompson, a top-100 national prospect in the 2024 class, made an unofficial visit to Clemson for the …

A highly touted Clemson in-state offensive line target returned to Tiger Town two weekends ago.

Dillon (S.C.) High School four-star tackle Josiah Thompson, a top-100 national prospect in the 2024 class, made an unofficial visit to Clemson for the Tigers’ 30-20 victory over NC State on Saturday, Oct. 1.

“I really enjoyed the visit to the Clemson and NC State game,” Thompson told The Clemson Insider.

The 6-foot-6, 280-pound junior came away impressed by the environment at Death Valley during the top-10 matchup at night.

“The atmosphere was amazing,” he said, “and it’s awesome to see how much the fans have love towards the players and team.”

Thompson’s family accompanied him to Clemson, and it was their first time taking in a game there.

Dillon (S.C.) High School 2024 four-star OL Josiah Thompson during pregame Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022 at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium. Bart Boatwright/The Clemson Insider

“My dad, mom and little brother came with me,” he said. “They really enjoyed.”

Thompson, who received an offer from Clemson at the beginning of June when the Tigers began extending offers to 2024 prospects, has been able to catch up with both offensive line coach Thomas Austin and head coach Dabo Swinney.

“It has been a while since I saw coach TA in person. It was great seeing him again,” Thompson said. “I spoke with Coach Swinney on the phone later on that week after the game.”

Thompson also traveled to Clemson for a visit back on March 12 and competed at the Swinney Camp in the summer of 2021.

Where do the Tigers stand with him right now following his latest trip to campus?

“Clemson is an amazing school with amazing opportunities,” he said. “I can see myself playing for the Clemson Tigers.”

Thompson visited Georgia for its game vs. Auburn this past Saturday and is set to be in Knoxville for Tennessee’s game against Alabama this Saturday.

Georgia, Auburn and Tennessee have offered Thompson, along with schools such as South Carolina, Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

A consensus four-star prospect according to the major recruiting services, Thompson is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the Palmetto State for the 2024 class by 247Sports, while he is ranked as high as the nation’s No. 71 overall prospect in his class by the 247Sports Composite, which considers him the No. 5 offensive tackle in the class.

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

Clemson making a move with 5-star linebacker

It’s no longer a secret that Clemson is one of the favorite schools of Jadon Perlotte. The five-star linebacker out of Buford (Ga.) has been adamant about that fact, even though he didn’t make his way back to campus over the summer. Perlotte – a …

It’s no longer a secret that Clemson is one of the favorite schools of Jadon Perlotte.

The five-star linebacker out of Buford (Ga.) has been adamant about that fact, even though he didn’t make his way back to campus over the summer.

Perlotte — a 6-foot-4, 200-pound sophomore in the class of 2025 — recently made his first-ever gameday visit to Death Valley for Clemson’s top-10 showdown against NC State on Saturday, Oct. 1.

“It was great,” Perlotte recently told The Clemson Insider regarding his visit. “That’s the most fans I’ve ever seen and we got to run down the hill. I didn’t see any open spots.”

With Clemson being one of Perlotte’s dream schools, what is it about Dabo Swinney’s program that appeals to a prospect like Perlotte?

“The culture,” he said. “I sit in there and listen for hours, listening to Coach Dabo preach about the system and how they do things differently. They’re a family team and that’s all they care about is the person beside them. That’s what I pay attention to.”

Perlotte said that he has a great relationship with most of Clemson’s staff and spent a lot of time around the Tigers’ defensive assistants before and after last Saturday’s game.

“I’m close with the whole staff there,” he said.

Being a linebacker himself, keyed in on players like Trenton Simpson, Barett Carter and Jeremiah Trotter, Jr.

“They’re very versatile and that’s how I base my game off of,” Perlotte said of Clemson’s linebackers. “All their linebackers can play either spot, safety, they can lock down or they can play in the box. That’s kind of what I was paying attention to was their versatility.”

He’ll have the chance to do that a couple more times, as it seems likely that Perlotte will make his way back to Tiger Town for multiple games this season.

“I’m gonna get back to a couple of games at Clemson,” he said. “I’ll be down there for sure. I’m gonna have to ask my mom, she’s been planning all of this. She really loves Clemson, so I got to make probably about three more games down there.”

Right now, Perlotte is patiently waiting for an offer from the Tigers, one that he’s hopeful will come sooner than later.

“I mean, it’s gonna be a lot,” Perlotte said regarding a potential scholarship offer. “We’ve talked multiple times about it. We’ve been talking about it and they said, ‘When we get the chance it’s gonna happen. Just wait until the time and it’ll be a special moment.'”

“It don’t bother me that much,” he continued. “I know it’s coming, I just gotta stay on it.”

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

‘It’s just different’: Rising Virginia wideout talks ‘one of the best visits’ to Clemson

One of Clemson’s top receiver targets in the 2024 recruiting class returned to Tiger Town last weekend. King George (Va.) three-star Mekhai White was accompanied by his father and brother, as he made his way to campus for Clemson’s 30-20 victory …

One of Clemson’s top receiver targets in the 2024 recruiting class returned to Tiger Town last weekend.

King George (Va.) three-star Mekhai White was accompanied by his father and brother, as he made his way to campus for Clemson’s 30-20 victory over NC State at Death Valley on Saturday, Oct. 1.

“It was an amazing experience. It was great,” White told The Clemson Insider regarding his visit. “The coaching staff was great. The atmosphere was great. Just the people inside the facility make it so special.”

“It was a great experience,” he said regarding the atmosphere in Death Valley. “A lot of fans are screaming, yelling — they’re really passionate. They show a lot of love to the football team down there.”

Speaking of showing love, White had a chance to chop it up with Tyler Grisham. White said that he had a “great conversation” with Clemson’s wide receivers coach, as they got to know each other a little bit more. White also indicated that Grisham is exactly the same in person as he is over the phone.

“We didn’t talk much about recruiting, but he said that he would keep in touch with me and that he’s really interested in me,” White said regarding his conversation with Grisham. “We’re just building a relationship.”

White feels like his relationship with Grisham improved now that he was finally able to make his way down to Clemson.

What stood out about White’s first trip to Tiger Town?

“Just the culture down there, how they run things and things like that,” he said. “Clemson is just different from other schools. It’s just different.”

“Man, one of the best visits I’ve been on so far,” White added.

Those sentiments were echoed by his family members.

“They loved it,” he said. “They said the same thing, it’s just different. The whole environment and everything is just different down there.

This Saturday, Oct. 15, White will be at the University of Tennessee. He’s also hoping to visit Georgia, and Auburn and hopefully schedule more visits before the end of the season.

White doesn’t envision that he’ll be back at Clemson in 2022 but said that he “definitely” needs to get back down there following the season.

“I gotta go back down there,” White said. “I love that place.”

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 will support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!