Tag: Cortez Smith

The Insider Report: Priority DE target update, visitor reactions and future visitor preview

It’s time for this week’s edition of The Insider Report. We hope everyone had a great weekend. Tomarrion Parker update After speaking with multiple sources, we wanted to pass along the latest we’ve been hearing on Clemson’s pursuit of Phenix City …

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

We hope everyone had a great weekend.

Tomarrion Parker update

After speaking with multiple sources, we wanted to pass along the latest we’ve been hearing on Clemson’s pursuit of Phenix City (Ala.) Central four-star defensive end Tomarrion Parker. 

It’s no secret that the returns from the prized pass rusher’s unofficial visit for Clemson’s 35-12 win over Furman on Saturday, Sept. 10, have been great. Currently, we can tell you that the Tigers feel relatively solid in their standing with Parker and certainly have a chance at landing his commitment. 

At the same time, Parker still has official visits lined up to Tennessee and Florida, in addition to the official visit he’ll be taking to Clemson for the weekend of Oct. 22, which coincides with the Tigers’ matchup against Syracuse.

In any event, Parker has become Clemson’s prized target and is said to be the team that’s been pursuing him the hardest. The former Penn State commit has other visits to take before he renders a solution on his college decision and while we feel good about where Clemson stands, Parker is not anywhere close to a final decision.

Initial visitors for the Clemson-N.C. State game

Clemson’s Oct. 1 matchup against N.C. State is lining up to be a big recruiting weekend for the Tigers.

The Clemson Insider has been able to confirm a partial guest list for what is looking like the premier in-season recruiting event for Clemson’s class of 2024 targets.

Here are some of those names:

Burlington (N.C.) Hugh M. Cummings four-star wide receiver Jonathan Paylor, Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley High four-star wide receiver Alex Taylor, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas four-star wide receiver James Madison II, Cass (Cartersville, Ga.) three-star wide receiver Sacovie White, Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Day School four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger and Hough (Cornelius, N.C.) kicker Nolan Hauser.

As for some unconfirmed juniors, Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day four-star defensive back Tavoy Feagin told The Clemson Insider that he will “most likely” be in attendance for the N.C. State game, while fast-rising quarterback Mason Fortune out of Millbrook (Raleigh, N.C) told us that he’s trying to work out a visit and it’s possible it could be for the State game.

Other names that will likely be in attendance are Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons 2023 WR Patrick Stepelton, Central (S.C.) D W Daniel 2023 WR Jaylen Brown-Wallace, Buford (Ga.) 2025 four-star linebacker Jadon Perlotte and Cass (Cartersville, Ga.) 2026 QB Brodie McWhorter.

There will certainly be more names that come to light and we will provide the necessary updates at a later time.

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

It’s no secret that Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.) offensive lineman Cortez Smith likes Clemson. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound sophomore in the class of 2025 was on campus for Clemson’s 48-20 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday night, 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. You could 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 become 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.

Peach State receiver has ‘unbelievable’ visit to Clemson

A junior Peach State wide receiver on Clemson’s recruiting radar returned to campus this past weekend.

Johns Creek (Ga.) High School’s Kyle Vaka – whose sister actually goes to Clemson – was back in Tiger Town for Saturday’s game against Louisiana Tech.

TCI caught up with Vaka, who said the visit to Clemson and the night atmosphere at Death Valley “was unbelievable.”

“The crowd was incredible,” he said. “The lights, the scoreboard, the entrance – everything was electric and a really incredible and a great experience.”

Vaka had the chance to spend time with offensive player development coach Tajh Boyd, and Vaka and his father were able to eat dinner with receivers coach Tyler Grisham.

Vaka told TCI he “definitely” feels his relationship with Grisham grew stronger Saturday while talking about things beyond football.

“We just had some great conversations about not only football but what’s important in life – relationships, God, values and just building your life around that,” he said. “So, Coach Grisham’s a really good coach. He’s a really good dude as well, and you can see that through the conversations he has with the recruits, with the players – not even just talking about football but about life and what’s important in life.”

Vaka has traveled to Clemson a bunch of times. He made his way to campus for a couple of games last season, went to the spring game in April and camped at Clemson this summer for the second year in a row, not to mention a couple of other trips he has made to visit his sister.

Vaka intends to camp at Clemson again next summer. The 6-foot, 170-pounder also plans to get back on campus again this year and in the spring as well.

Prior to Saturday’s Clemson visit, Vaka went to Vanderbilt a week earlier for its game vs. Wake Forest. While he had a great experience at Vandy, he admitted “it’s hard to compare to Clemson.”

Vaka has 13 catches for 275 yards and two touchdowns through four games this season.

Promising QB prospect returns to Tiger Town

Clemson played host Saturday to a promising young quarterback prospect – a local product who now plays in the Peach State.

Gavin Owens, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound sophomore in the class of 2025, made his way to Death Valley for the Louisiana Tech game.

Owens, who has been participating in the Dabo Swinney Camp since he was about 10 years old, has traveled to Tiger Town numerous times and once again enjoyed his latest trip to campus.

On Saturday, he was able to catch up with offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter, as well as Boyd.

“You always know, I always go back there and I love it,” Owens told TCI after Saturday’s visit. “Every time I go, it’s always a good experience.”

Owens played his freshman season at Wren High School (Piedmont, S.C.) but has since transferred to Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (Rabun Gap, Ga.). In leading his team to a 4-1 record through five games this season, he has completed 66 percent of his passes for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns with no interceptions, according to MaxPreps.

As for what he heard from Streeter and Boyd on Saturday, Owens said, “They just asked how my season was going, and I said I’d let them know how I was doing, and they just told me to keep up the good work.”

Owens cited being around the coaches, taking in the environment again, going into the locker room after the game, and seeing how the players and coaches interact with each other as the best parts of his visit.

Owens owns a half-dozen offers already, including an SEC offer from Kentucky and ACC offers from Louisville and Virginia Tech.

As a freshman last season, Owens passed for 2,262 yards and 19 touchdowns while also rushing for 125 yards and four more scores on the ground.

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!

Top prospects headed to Death Valley for Clemson-Louisiana Tech game

Clemson will again play host to some top prospects for Saturday’s 8:00 p.m. game against Louisiana Tech in Death Valley. Here are some of the bigger names The Clemson Insider has confirmed as planned visitors for the Clemson-Tech game. The …

Clemson will again play host to some top prospects for Saturday’s 8:00 p.m. game against Louisiana Tech in Death Valley.

Here are some of the bigger names The Clemson Insider has confirmed as planned visitors for the Clemson-Tech game.

The headlining prospect in the class of 2023 is Kennesaw (Ga.) North Cobb Christian School three-star interior offensive lineman Gabriel Fortson. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound senior participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp this past summer and had a great time while competing at the camp and working with Clemson’s coaching staff.

He also said he “definitely” feels better about his chances of earning an offer from the Tigers based on how this year’s Swinney Camp went for him.

“It’d mean a lot,” Fortson said of a potential Clemson offer. “It’d immediately be one of my top schools on the list. Honestly, I’d love to go there. Everything’s so family-oriented, and Coach Swinney’s such a great coach and everything. I’d love to be a part of it.”

A couple of headliners among the recruits expected to be in attendance are a five-star class of 2024 prospect in Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.) safety Mike Matthews, as well as a four-star class of 2024 prospect in Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph’s Prep cornerback Omillio Agard.

When Clemson formally turned the page to offering prospects in the 2024 class on Wednesday, June 1, and started doling out offers to rising junior recruits, two of the first prospects to report offers from the Tigers were Matthews and Agard.

247Sports considers Matthews (6-3. 180) to be the No. 1 safety and the nation’s No. 9 overall prospect regardless of position in the class of 2024.

“I was very excited,” Matthews said of receiving an offer from Clemson. “It’s very important for me for a school like that to offer me. It shows how they feel about me as a player.”

Agard (6-0, 173) is ranked as the No. 8 cornerback and No. 84 overall prospect in the 2024 class by Rivals, while 247Sports considers him the No. 18 corner and No. 204 overall prospect in the class.

“Getting that offer means a lot because I’ve been building a relationship with Coach Reed and the coaches for over a year now, so it’s like, ‘Wow, they really believe in me,’ because I’m one of the first offers in the class,” Agard told The Clemson Insider back in June. It means a lot and they don’t offer too many guys, so I’m just grateful. I’m definitely high on them and they’re high on me. We’re gonna see where this goes in the next couple of years.”

During his visit, Agard got a chance to talk with Clemson coach Dabo Swinney for about 30 minutes. According to Agard, Swinney was telling him that he’s the type of guy that they want in their program because he’s a great person with good academics.

“I just check every box,” Agard recalled, “and they check all my boxes at a school that I want to be at. It just all fell into place. Coach Swinney’s a great guy and he just showed me that I’m wanted.”

“I’m really high on Clemson now,” he added. “I see myself there. I could be a Tiger. It was just great.”

Cass (Cartersville, Ga.) 2024 three-star wide receiver Sacovie White will be making his first trip to Clemson on Saturday, along with his mother and sister.

“I’m very excited about that,” he said of Saturday’s game. “It’s just to see a night game. Night games are very, very inspiring — just seeing what the atmosphere feels like.”

Another prospect worth mentioning that will be in attendance is Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.) 2025 offensive lineman Cortez Smith. Smith — a 6-foot-4, 275-pound sophomore in the class of 2025 — is high on Clemson early and is already one of the top offensive guards in the country. He holds a lone offer from Penn State.

Among other notable recruits on Clemson’s anticipated guest list for Saturday’s game are two Clemson commits in Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood Christian five-star quarterback Christopher Vizzina and Stockbridge (Georgia) three-star cornerback Shelton Lewis, as well as Gaffney (S.C.) 2023 DB O’Myireia Daniels, Navarre (Florida) four-star LB Zavier Hamilton, Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph’s Prep four-star WR David Washington, Jr., Daphne (Ala.) Bayside Academy 2024 OL Graham Uter, Spartanburg (S.C.) Broome High 2024 OL Steven O’Dell, Alpharetta (Ga.) Johns Creek 2024 WR Kyle Vaka, Buffalo (West Virginia) 2025 QB Josh Moody, Woodmont (Simpsonville, S.C.) 2025 TE Tre Broughton, Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) 2025 OL Bryce Hudson, Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.) 2025 OL Jordan Floyd and Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School (Georgia) 2025 DL Terry Nwabuisi Ezeala.

— Myrtle Beach (S.C.) 2025 WR John Simmons messaged The Clemson Insider saying that he might be attending this weekend’s game, while unconfirmed at the moment.

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!

Elite Georgia OL has high praise for Austin, says offer from Clemson would be ‘life-changing’

An elite offensive line prospect from the Peach State, who has seen his recruitment take off this spring and summer while picking up multiple major scholarship offers, participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp last month. Lilburn (Ga.) Parkview High …

An elite offensive line prospect from the Peach State, who has seen his recruitment take off this spring and summer while picking up multiple major scholarship offers, participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp last month.

Lilburn (Ga.) Parkview High School’s Cortez Smith — a 6-foot-4, 275-pound rising sophomore in the class of 2025 – camped at Clemson on June 2.

“It was good,” Smith told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview last month regarding his Swinney Camp experience. “I enjoyed the campus, It was very unique. And, it’s all not too far from home.”

This was Smith’s second time being on Clemson’s campus within the span of a couple of months. The camp itself wasn’t particularly easy and mainly focused on repetition, consistency and getting better.

Smith had the chance to learn from Clemson offensive line coach Thomas Austin, who he spoke glowingly of when asked what type of feedback he received.

“I liked how he helped me out on my sets and my pass blocking,” Smith said. “He’s a good o-line coach. He’s all about aggressiveness.”

The last time we spoke with Smith, he mentioned how Austin talked about getting to know each other since it’s relatively early in his recruiting process and Clemson doesn’t generally move on prospects until they’re rising juniors.

Smith said that he definitely felt more comfortable around Austin this time around because they had a chance to be around each other once before and it felt like they already knew each other.

If Austin were to present Smith with a scholarship offer around this time next summer, what would it mean for him and his recruitment?

“That would be amazing,” he said. “That would be a life-changer right there.”

Smith, who played all along the offensive line as a freshman at Parkview, told us that he worked out at the center position and both guard spots during his time at Clemson. 

In addition to Clemson, Smith camped at both the University of South Carolina and the University of Georgia. The elite Peach State offensive lineman was able to take away some learning lessons that he can certainly implement in his game this upcoming season.

Dear Old Clemson’s first event is July 24. Now there is a new way to support Clemson student-athletes. Come out and meet the freshmen football players at this meet and greet autograph session. If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events. Purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.

 

 

Clemson always feels like home to big-time Peach State lineman

Every time this big-time Peach State offensive lineman makes his way to Clemson, it always feels like home. The Clemson Insider caught up with Parkview’s (Lilburn, Ga.) Cortez Smith, an elite prospect in the class of 2025, who was at Clemson for the …

Every time this big-time Peach State offensive lineman makes his way to Clemson, it always feels like home.

The Clemson Insider caught up with Parkview’s (Lilburn, Ga.) Cortez Smith, an elite prospect in the class of 2025, who was at Clemson for the Tigers’ underclassmen day on March 12.

“It was great,” Smith said. “Everything seemed great. It was a great trip. The people there are really comforting.”

What did Smith hear from Clemson’s coaching staff while he was on campus?

“Some of the coaches said that they had watched my film and that I’m on their radar,” he said.

“I know their o-line coach — Coach (Thomas) Austin — he said that we have to get to know each other,” Smith recalled, “he’s not just gonna offer you just because you’re a five-star. You have to go up there and get to know him. You have to be family basically.”

How does Smith feel about that?

“I honestly think that’s the best way to do it,” he said, “because if you don’t know the kid, then you’re not gonna have good chemistry with him. They might not fit with the program.”

While Smith was on campus, he had a chance to sit in on an offensive line meeting. He also had the opportunity to watch Clemson conduct one of its several spring practices, as well as a full scrimmage, which he later concluded was the favorite part of his visit.

This wasn’t Smith’s first time on campus. He had previously been in Tiger Town last summer when he participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp. He had been coached up by former offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell, but not by Austin.

So this was a new opportunity for him to get in front of Clemson’s offensive line coach and spend some time with him.

“He’s very straight to the point,” Smith said, “and you gotta be aggressive with it. The way their scheme is very aggressive. You gotta know what you’re doing or else you’re not playing. It’s very straightforward.”

He’ll be back to camp at Clemson this summer.

Smith also made visits to the University of Georgia and Arkansas.

As a freshman, Smith started every game for varsity. He played center, a position he had never played before and did fairly well. The center position is not Smith’s permanent home on the offensive line, though. There’s a plan in place for him to move around the line and that added versatility will certainly benefit him going forward.

“I’m very committed,” Smith said when asked to describe himself as a player. “Communication is key for me. We have to know the play as a whole line to get it down because if one person messes up, we all mess up.”

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

Congratulations! You did it! You graduated! Now is the time to preserve your diploma in a custom frame. Here at Clemson Variety & Frame, we build all our frames in-house – from the frame to the mats and etchings to the installation – to guarantee the quality. You worked hard for your degree. Trust us to show your diploma in the best light possible.