Tag: Collin Sadler

Tour of Champions: Collin Sadler

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Clemson Insider was able to cross off not one, but two names from this season’s first edition of the Tour of Champions. Up first was Josh Sapp. Next? Sapp’s teammate, Collin Sadler. Sadler, a four-star offensive lineman from …

GREENVILLE, S.C. — The Clemson Insider was able to cross off not one, but two names from this season’s first edition of the Tour of Champions.

Up first was Josh Sapp. Next? Sapp’s teammate, Collin Sadler.

Sadler, a four-star offensive lineman from Greenville High School, is already pretty confident in his decision to commit to Clemson.

“It was honestly the best decision I’ve ever made,” Sadler told TCI following Greenville’s 32-2 victory over J.L. Main last Friday night. “I pulled the trigger early because I knew it was the right thing for me. It’s just been really good seeing everything settle down and being able to enjoy my senior year without traveling around and all that.”

If there’s one thing that Sadler made inherently clear during his conversation with TCI is that he is very happy with his decision. 

Dating back to his recruitment process, Clemson treated the local product like they do everyone else. They waited until his junior season to offer and it was one of the latest ones he received.

“I visited there. It was completely what I heard from everyone around me for years,” he said. “I didn’t grow up a Clemson fan. I’d never been to a game. The first time I was ever on campus was to watch spring practice. I could just tell that everything they preached, right from the get-go, was true.”

Sadler was a part of that group that was among the first four 2022 commits. He’s one of the leaders of Clemson’s 2022 class and he’s been adamant on social media that his class is the best the nation has to offer, despite what recruiting rankings say.

“We believe we’re the best class in the country, just from how we interact with each other, how we believe we’re going to play with each other on the field and what we have coming up,” Sadler said. “We really believe that the rankings don’t matter. We believe we can go out there and beat anybody in the country.”

Sadler has a close relationship with Mason Johnstone, a three-star offensive lineman from Greenville’s Christ Church Episcopal School. Johnstone joined Clemson’s 2022 class as a PWO commit back on June 13.

“Masom Johnstone, he’s from Clemson,” he said. “I’ve known him for probably about a year now. He started training with the same O-line trainer that I train with. He’s a great guy.”

Being that he’s not too far from The Valley, Sadler is planning to go to as many Clemson home games as he can. While he couldn’t make it to the Tigers home opener against South Carolina State, he’ll be back in Tiger Town as Clemson opens up conference play against Georgia Tech this Saturday.

Clemson already feels like family for Sadler and a lot of that has to do with the coaching staff.

“It’s a great relationship,” Sadler said when asked about his connections with Clemson offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell and offensive analyst Thomas Austin. “I’ve been able to know Coach Caldwell a little bit longer than I’ve known Coach Austin, but the more I talk to Coach Austin, the more I love him and the more I see Coach Caldwell in him. I’m going in with great expectations for the people there and the development there.”

According to Sadler, Caldwell will communicate with him about once every day and he’ll call him about once a week. He wants to give Sadler the space to enjoy his senior year as much as he can.

Sadler has the positional flexibility to play all across the line. He plays left tackle for Greenville, but he’s not coming into Clemson with the expectation to play any position 

“One of the things that Coach Caldwell really likes about me was versatility,” he said. “He believes that I’m flexible enough to play center, strong enough for guard and athletic enough for tackle. As long as I’m on the field, I’m happy.”

What can Clemson fans expect out of Sadler and what does he bring to the table?

“I believe I can bring a finishing attitude,” Sadler said. “I love to finish blocks. I love to put people in the ground. My whole mentality going in there early is just to work as hard as possible. I’m going in there with the intention to start my freshman year, if at all possible. I’m just gonna take it day by day and work as hard as I can.”

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

Tour of Champions: Son of former Tiger has ‘cool relationship’ with Elliott

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Clemson Insider kicked off our Tour of Champions for the 2021 season Friday night. Stop No. 1? The legendary Sirrine Stadium to see the Greenville Raiders host the J.L. Main Patriots. TCI was on site to see two players, in …

GREENVILLE, S.C. —  The Clemson Insider kicked off our Tour of Champions for the 2021 season Friday night.

Stop No. 1? 

The legendary Sirrine Stadium to see the Greenville Raiders host the J.L. Main Patriots.

TCI was on site to see two players, in particular, Clemson commit Colin Sadler and legacy recruit Josh Sapp, the son of former Clemson and NFL linebacker Patrick Sapp.

Josh caught two touchdown passes in a 31-2 victory. It wasn’t the prettiest win, but Sapp came away with touchdown receptions of 19 and 73 yards. Including one on a double-pass from fellow wide receiver Tyler Brown.

That’s two big games in a row for Sapp, who recorded seven receptions with 228 receiving yards in a touchdown in last week’s 24-21 win over Mauldin.

“It’s been good,” Sapp said. “I’ve been working for it.”

Sapp even played a little bit of defensive end too and recorded a tackle. But most of that attention, especially from Clemson, has come at the tight end position, where he continues to produce.

Sapp was invited by Clemson to the team’s marquee matchup against Georgia at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. While the Tigers weren’t able to get the win with Sapp and his father in attendance, it was still a great experience nonetheless.

“It was great,” Sapp said. “Learned a lot of football, watching the tight ends. It was good overall. A good experience”

Sapp added that he liked the combination of route-running and blocking from Clemson’s tight ends — Braden Galloway and Davis Allen — against Georgia. 

He texted with Clemson offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Tony Elliott after the game. The two continue to develop a close relationship.

“Really just keeping in touch and checking up on each other,” Sapp said. “He and my dad have known each other for a while, so I kind of grew up knowing. It’s really just a cool relationship with him.”

Sapp’s Clemson’s connections don’t stop short at his father, he’s also teammates with a Clemson commit in Sadler.

“That’s a great teammate. He kills me in the weight room trying to work with him,” Sapp said. “We’re definitely close. We’ve been clicking, especially over the summer, just grinding in the weight room with each other.”

In a recent conversation with TCI, Sadler said he believed that Sapp will end up at Clemson if the Tigers do eventually offer.

Sapp couldn’t help but crack a smile.

While he hasn’t heard anything about a potential offer as of late, Sapp said that he’s just “trusting the process.” He told TCI that he’s broken his recruitment down to three schools — App State, Georgia State, and, of course, Clemson.

Being that he’s less than an hour away from Memorial Stadium, Sapp will try to make his way back to The Valley for a game-day visit this season.

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

Greenville head coach: Clemson is the standard

For a local high school coach, there’s something obvious about Clemson’s football program. Greg Porter, the head coach of Greenville High School, put it this way. “They’re the standard,” he told The Clemson Insider. Porter attended Clemson’s All In …

For a local high school coach, there’s something obvious about Clemson’s football program.

Greg Porter, the head coach of Greenville High School, put it this way.

“They’re the standard,” he told The Clemson Insider.

Porter attended Clemson’s All In Cookout last month, in part because of two of his own players — Collin Sadler and Josh Sapp.

Sadler is a part of the Tigers’ 2022 recruiting class, while Sapp is still aiming for that coveted Clemson offer. 

In any event, Porter was there to support his players, but he enjoyed himself beyond his expectations.

“As you can see from the pictures, I had a great time,” Porter said. “It was absolutely one of the most organized events that I’ve been a part of and had such a family feeling of welcoming those young men and their families. The coaches are all genuine. It was a positive experience, it was really good.”

Porter had a unique moment where he sat down with Dabo Swinney’s wife, Kathleen, and the two sat and ate together for about 45 minutes.

“I was just totally fascinated and blown away that she would even take the time and sit down and talk with me,” he said.

Porter didn’t take that for granted. He knows the way parents of recruits and commits would’ve been impacted if they were in his situation as well. 

“There were so many other people, so many other pieces that were moving at the cookout,” Porter added. “The fact that she took a moment, sat down and just talked with me, I appreciated it. That meant a lot to me.”

Of course, Sadler and Sapp were the reason Porter was there, and yet he was still blown away by the way he was treated.

Sadler committed to Clemson back on Nov. 2, 2020. He ranks as the No. 15 offensive tackle and No. 4 prospect from The Palmetto State in the Class of 2022, according to 247Sports Composite rankings.

What is Clemson getting in a player like Sadler?

“They’re getting a committed young man on and off the field,” Porter said. “He definitely fits the culture of Clemson. He comes in with a mindset that he wants to contribute right away. A lot of kids think like that anyway, but I think he’s putting in the work. He’s going to put in the work. He knows that he’s got to earn his stripes.”

From a character standpoint, Clemson is getting someone who is going to be “All In.”

“A guy who’s coming in not arrogant, a guy who’s coming in who wants to continue the tradition that Clemson has and that’s winning National Championships,” Porter said of Sadler. “He’s never been a problem. He’s loyal. None of these things I’m making up. These are the qualities that he has exhibited over the years being at Greenville High School.”

For Sapp, it’s a little bit different. Even though he’s a legacy recruit, he doesn’t hold that Clemson offer just yet.  Still, he was invited to the cookout as Clemson and specifically Tigers’ offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Tony Elliott continue to express interest in him.

Sapp, of course, is the son of former Clemson and NFL linebacker Patrick Sapp.

“I think that’s the motivating thing for Josh Sapp. He doesn’t mind paving the way of his own steps,” Porter said. “What’s funny to me is that he’s too young to even know that his dad had a similar path, quarterback, outside linebacker, changing positions. Josh, coming up in our program, he’s the same way.

“I don’t want to say like a swiss [army] knife, but he can play so many positions. It would be great to see him target just one and become great at one being able to be that versatile tight end/wide receiver, guy. H-back for Clemson, from my perspective, is the perfect position for him.”

Being that he’s their head coach, Porter had an opportunity to enjoy himself, but he also took a step back and watched his players and some of their future teammates enjoy themselves.

“This class, the recruiting class, watching them on stage during the activities they had for the kids, they seemed to have a nice little tight bond already,” he said. “I think that’s what makes Clemson so special, that they take that class that they’re recruiting and allow them to become a family, teaching them to become a family before they get to Clemson.”

Porter explained just how rare and unique that is. 

Once these recruits are officially enrolled in Tiger Town, they already know the expectations. There is already a relationship there and chemistry is so vital and important to a team’s success. 

He would know.

“It’s stronger than it has been in the past,” Porter said of his relationship with Clemson’s coaches. “In 2014, when I won a State Championship at Hillcrest, Clemson was the only school that allowed me an opportunity to come to be a guest speaker at the coaching clinic. I’m always in debt to them for that.”

Porter had an opportunity to speak with Brent Venables. He coached the Clemson defensive coordinator/linebackers coach’s son, Tyler, at the Shrine Bowl. 

“I try not to be a nuance because I figure everyone’s always asking him for stuff,” he said, “But I just keep it business-wise when I talk to them about the kids and I probably do need to really work on the relationship aspect of it because they’ve invited me to come up there so many times during the season,” “I’ll be caught up so much in my own season, that I don’t come up as much as I should to the games and things like that.

“I think from this experience with Collin and Josh Sapp, talking to Coach Elliott, talking to [Safeties] Coach [Mickey] Conn, talking to Brent Venables, they make you feel so welcome. I just felt different this time. I felt so different this time that I even took an actual picture. I put on the jersey and took one myself.”

Porter never played for Clemson, but for once in his life and this one moment, he got a chance to put on that jersey. 

He didn’t pass it up.

“They made me feel comfortable that I could step out of myself and do something like that,” Porter added.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The highlight of it all for Sapp was the photoshoot.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That’s not something he takes lightly.

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

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

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

What They Are Saying: All In Cookout

There continues to be plenty of buzz surrounding Clemson’s 2022 recruiting class. Sunday marked the beginning of the quiet period, which allowed for Clemson to kick off its All In Cookout. Most of Clemson’s Class of 2022 verbal commits and several …

There continues to be plenty of buzz surrounding Clemson’s 2022 recruiting class. Sunday marked the beginning of the quiet period, which allowed for Clemson to kick off its All In Cookout.

Most of Clemson’s Class of 2022 verbal commits and several priority targets were on campus for Sunday’s festivities, with most of them being invited to Dabo Swinney’s house afterward.

In this edition of What They Are Saying, we take a look at what is being said on Twitter and Instagram about The Cookout:

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USC recruiting: Trojans extend offer to 4-star OL Collin Sadler

The USC Trojans are continuing to recruit offensive linemen, this time turning to 2022 to offer four-star tackle Collin Sadler.

The USC Trojans have struggled to land high-profile offensive line recruits in the class of 2021, perhaps their only weakness in what will go down as a very successful recruiting period for coach Clay Helton and company.

But while they may struggle initially to replace tackles Austin Jackson and Drew Richmond from last season, they are doing their due diligence to make sure reinforcements are on the way soon.

After striking out on a handful of four-star prospects in the class of 2021, the Trojans appear to be turning their attention to finding impact offensive linemen in the class of 2022, starting with four-star tackle Collin Sadler from Greenville, South Carolina.

Sadler has also picked up offers from Cal, Alabama, South Carolina, Miami, Notre Dame, Arizona State, LSU and Georgia.

The six-foot-six, 295 tackle is coming off an excellent sophomore year, and is ranked No. 181 in the class of 2022 by 247Sports’ composite rankings. That’s good enough to make him the 18th tackle in his class, and the fourth highest ranked prospect in South Carolina.

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Alabama offers 2022 4-star OT Collin Sadler

Collin Sadler, a four-star offensive tackle out of Greenville (S.C), landed an offer from Alabama on Wednesday morning.

Alabama has come on strong with its 2021 recruiting class, but the 2022 group is still of great importance to Nick Saban and the rest of the coaching staff. In other words, offers are still being made to get a jump on the next class.

On Wednesday, four-star offensive tackle Collin Sadler out of Greenville (S.C.) landed one of those offers, and he took to Twitter to announce the news:

Sadler is considered the No. 181 overall prospect, the No. 18 offensive tackle and the No. 4 player from the state of South Carolina, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

And at 6-foot-6, 295 pounds, he already possesses SEC size for the position.

Clemson seems to be the current favorite for Sadler considering he’s an instate prospect for the Tigers, but the Crimson Tide shouldn’t be counted out this early in the process.

Other top programs such as Georgia, Oregon, Michigan, LSU and others have already offered the rising senior, and don’t be surprised to see several of the other top football powerhouses follow suite in the near future.

Alabama is already loading up on offensive linemen in its 2021 class, with four top 200 prospects (three of which are top 50) already committed.

Stay tuned for more recruiting updates from Roll Tide Wire, part of the USA TODAY Sports College Wire sites!

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Irish offer Massive Class of ‘22 Tackle from South Carolina

Notre Dame continues to attack the offensive line class of 2022, this time going out east to offer an offensive tackle.

For a sophomore going into his junior year in Greenville, South Carolina, Collin Sadler will most likely have his choice of virtually any school he would like to attend to play collegiate football. The 6’6” and 295-pound tackle got his Notre Dame offer yesterday as they joined an impressive list at this early stage in his recruitment.

Sadler adds the Irish verbal offer after already collecting the same from Clemson, LSU, Michigan, Oregon and others. It might be tough getting him to leave the state as the Tiger’s are his perceived leader at this moment.

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The massive tackle isn’t just a large body, as his Greenville team has him pulling on outside run plays while also getting to the outside to block screens. Sadler is the ninth offensive tackle Brian Kelly and offensive line coach Jeff Quinn have offered. At the current moment, the Irish do not have any commits in the 2022 class and are looking for their first pledge from the rising junior class.