Tag: debron gatling

Big-time Peach State receiver, mother impressed with trip to Clemson

A four-star wide receiver and top-100 national prospect from the Peach State returned to Tiger Town last weekend for his first visit to Clemson since participating in the Dabo Swinney Camp last summer. Milton (Ga.) High School’s Debron Gatling – a …

A four-star wide receiver and top-100 national prospect from the Peach State returned to Tiger Town last weekend for his first visit to Clemson since participating in the Dabo Swinney Camp last summer.

Milton (Ga.) High School’s Debron Gatling – a 6-foot-2, 185-pound sophomore in the class of 2024 – was back on campus Saturday, March 12.

“It was really good,” Gatling said of the visit in an interview with The Clemson Insider. “I really liked the facilities and I like what they’re doing to their recovery room. I like what they’re doing new to there, they’re making it bigger and stuff. And I like how it’s just like a family there at Clemson.”

Gatling’s mother came with him on the trip to Clemson and came away impressed after their experience and interactions with Clemson’s staff, particularly Swinney and wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham.

“My mom loved it,” Gatling said. “She said she really liked it, and she really liked Coach Swinney and Coach Grisham.”

Gatling is ranked by Rivals as the No. 10 wide receiver and No. 90 overall prospect in the 2024 class regardless of position. His list of more than two dozen offers includes, to name some, schools such as Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas, Miami, Florida State, Michigan, Penn State and Oregon.

Clemson typically doesn’t start offering recruits in any given class until the summer before their junior year, and the coaches reiterated that to Gatling during Saturday’s visit, but made it clear they are interested in him and that he is welcome on campus whenever he wants to go there.

Milton (Ga.) High School 2024 4-star WR Debron Gatling works out during Dabo Swinney’s football camp Sunday, June 6, 2021. Bart Boatwright/The Clemson Insider

“That they don’t offer 2024s yet, they wait until June 1 and stuff like that,” Gatling said of what he heard from Swinney and Grisham. “Coach Grisham said he loved my film, and he told me that he loved the way I had camped with him, and he told me that I can come back at any time.”

Added Gatling of what it meant to hear that from the coaches: “It felt good to me, because a lot of people don’t get that opportunity to come back at any time. They told me I could come back at any time, I can even come sit in some meetings and stuff like that. So, it really means a lot, that I know that they’re really recruiting me hard.”

Last Saturday wasn’t the first time Gatling and Swinney met, but Clemson’s head coach continued to make a great impression on the promising prospect when they spoke again Saturday.

“I think he’s a great guy,” Gatling said. “He’s a family-oriented guy, family first always to him, and education before football. So, that really means something to me, that I know that he cares about all of our education, makes sure that we get our degrees and stuff like that before we go to the NFL. I just feel like he’s a genuine guy, and I feel like he can get you to the league. … I feel like he’s just a good coach overall.”

Meanwhile, Gatling feels the relationship he has been building with Grisham “definitely” grew stronger thanks to the time they were able to spend together during the visit last weekend.

“We actually got a chance to play a game of ping-pong together. He’s kind of good at it, so he beat me,” Gatling said, laughing. “And then when they were introducing themselves, I stayed up there with him, talking to him until it was his turn to go up there and talk. So I feel like, yeah, our bond definitely grew more since I was there.”

Along with Clemson, Gatling has made visits to Alabama and Southern Cal so far this offseason. He is scheduled to visit Georgia this Saturday and is looking to get back to Bama in late March, while he is slated to visit Ole Miss on April 2. LSU wants him to visit as well, and he intends to get out to Miami this spring also.

In addition to the aforementioned schools he has visited or plans to, Gatling named Michigan, Oregon, Texas A&M and Texas as some of the others recruiting him the hardest at this stage of his recruiting process.

Clemson would certainly be a strong contender for Gatling if he gets an offer from the Tigers moving forward.

“I feel like they’d definitely be a top school always in my head,” he said. “So, I feel like they’ve got a really good chance.”

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Big-time WR building bond with Grisham, ‘really excited’ for upcoming Clemson visit

This big-time prospect from the Peach State is garnering substantial interest from Clemson wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham and scheduled to be on campus next month. Milton (Ga.) High School four-star receiver Debron Gatling plans to visit Clemson …

This big-time prospect from the Peach State is garnering substantial interest from Clemson wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham and scheduled to be on campus next month.

Milton (Ga.) High School four-star receiver Debron Gatling plans to visit Clemson on March 12 and take in one of the Tigers’ spring practices.

“I’m really excited,” Gatling told The Clemson Insider. “I’m most looking forward to how they practice, because Coach Grisham told me I’ll get to check out how they practice, and the facilities and meeting other coaches there.”

Gatling – a 6-foot-2, 185-pound sophomore – told TCI he has talked with Grisham twice in the last week or so.

“He’s been saying how they offer, the offer process they go (through) at Clemson, how it’s late and they don’t go (out) till like junior year,” Gatling said of what he heard during his conversations with Grisham. “He was telling me that he had wanted me to come out to the visit on the 12th, but he was only inviting a couple of ‘24s that day out there that’s on his board. So, that really caught my eye. Like, that makes it seem like I’m a top target for them. So, that’s why I decided to go there and visit.”

The interest Grisham has conveyed is a big deal for Gatling.

“It means a lot because I grew up liking Clemson,” he said. “I grew up watching Clemson, and I know that they produce some good receivers. So, that means a lot to me that I’m high on his list.”

Gatling is building a solid bond with Grisham and has plenty of respect for him. He is fond of Grisham, both as a person and coach, and appreciates how Grisham coached him up when he participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp last summer, showing he cared about helping Gatling improve his game.

“I think our relationship is pretty good right now,” Gatling said. “I know he’s a really good coach when I worked with him at the camp last year, my freshman year, and he was critiquing me. What a good coach needs to do, he was letting me know stuff I could do that would make me get out of my breaks faster, and other releases and stuff that I really like. And then I see that it actually works in games because I see his receivers doing it. So, I know he’s a good coach, and his personality is great. Every time we talk, he’s a cool guy to talk to, and our bond is pretty good when we get on the phone.”

That camp visit to Clemson last June is the lone trip to Tiger Town that Gatling has made to this point. Thus far this offseason, Alabama is the only school he’s been to, though he is slated to visit Southern Cal on March 5 and also plans to check out schools such as Oregon, Texas A&M and Texas.

Clemson is among the schools making Gatling feel like a priority early in his recruiting process.

“Right now, you could say that Clemson’s standing out a little bit,” he said. “You could say Clemson, Oregon, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Michigan. These are just the schools that show me that I’m a top target for them. Tennessee, too.”

All those schools have offered Gatling (besides Clemson), and he also holds offers from schools like Georgia, Texas, Miami, Florida State, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Kentucky and Arkansas.

As a sophomore last season, Gatling grabbed 36 receptions for 705 yards and 11 touchdowns.

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Clemson stops by school of 2024 4-star WR

Clemson stopped by Milton High School (Alpharetta, GA.) at the end of the school day on Thursday. Mickey Conn spoke with the program’s head coach on a couple of prospects, including 2024 four-star wide receiver Debron Gatling, who has been on the …

Clemson stopped by Milton High School (Alpharetta, GA.) at the end of the school day on Thursday.

Mickey Conn spoke with the program’s head coach on a couple of prospects, including 2024 four-star wide receiver Debron Gatling, who has been on the Tigers’ radar since he camped at Clemson this past summer.

“It means a lot because I know that there’s a lot of talented prospects in Georgia and they took their time to come to see me,” Gatling told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview Thursday night.

Clemson’s co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach invited Gatling, along with two of his teammates, to come to spring practice in March.

“I can’t wait to see the spring practices and get down there,” he said. “It’s like a family bond when you get down there and it feels like you’re just a part of the family already.”

He’ll likely be in attendance as he makes his first trip to The Valley since this past summer. That’s where he was able to first cultivate his relationship with Clemson wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham.

“The relationship’s been good since the camp,” Gatling said. “My trainer actually trains Dacari [Collins] up there. So, [Coach Grisham] is always asking my trainer about me and checking up on me and stuff.”

When Gatling camped at Clemson, Grisham was really impressed with his performance. According to Gatling, Clemson’s receivers coach was telling him that he was better than what he had thought he was and was really advanced for his age.

“It was great,” Gatling said of his time at the Swinney Camp. “I didn’t know that Coach Grisham was really that cool. It was just like talking to a friend and he really coaches good stuff, as far as routes and stuff, he knows what he’s talking about. He’s just a cool dude with a nice personality.”

Since Gatling is a sophomore, the topic of an offer is not a conversation that’s been broached just yet. However, he believes that an offer should be on the way once Clemson starts handing out offers to rising juniors.

“I think that’s great,” he said of Clemson’s recruitment process,” because that just means that they don’t offer everybody like some of these other schools. I feel like Clemson really makes you earn it and they want to make sure you’re a person that fits in their scheme and program before they just offer you.”

Clemson’s history at the wide receiver position is certainly appealing to a prospect like Gatling.

“That’s big because I actually grew up watching Clemson receivers like DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins and stuff like that,” Gatling said, “and I always wanted to be in their place. That’s why Clemson’s always been a top school for me, to be honest.”

How would Gatling describe himself as a player to someone who’s never seen him play before?

“I would describe myself as a player that can run any route in the route tree,” he said. “I can play the slot or on the outside. I’m really just versatile at any receiver spot. And, I can catch anything that comes my way.”

Clemson kept tabs on Gatling during the season, but it was former defensive tackles coach Todd Bates who had come to watch the sophomore receiver and his teammate, 2023 five-star defensive lineman Lebbeus Overton.

During his sophomore campaign, Gatliong recorded 36 receptions with 705 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, while averaging nearly 20 yards per reception.

Gatling (6-1, 180) currently holds offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Duke Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ole Miss, Oregon, Pitt, Tennesee, Texas A&M, UCF and Utah.

Right now, he’s planning on visiting the University of Alabama on Jan. 29. In addition to Clemson, of course, he’s also planning to visit schools like Texas A&M, Oregon, Tennesee, Michigan and Ole Miss.

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Georgia Bulldogs in first six for Milton wide receiver

The Georgia Bulldogs, Tennessee Volunteers, and more are in Milton WR Debron Gatling’s first six.

The Georgia Bulldogs offered a scholarship back in November to Debron Gatling, who plays wide receiver for Milton High School in Alpharetta, Georgia. Gatling is a member of the class of 2024, so he’s only a freshman in high school.

Despite his age, Gatling already has scholarship offers from Texas A&M, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Minnesota, and Duke. He’s an in-state recruiting target to watch moving forward for the Bulldogs.

Gatling has decent size at 6-foot-1 and weighs 180 pounds. He’s a good route runner and gains separation easily. On this play against McEachern High School, Gatling showed his ability to get separation on a post route that results in a touchdown:

It will be fun to see Gatling’s game develop. He obviously tons of potential, and he’s already been able to show off his abilities against solid competition in high school.

Debron Gatling shared his first six via his Twitter account:

Gatling will surely receive more scholarship offers over the years. He’s a guy to monitor for the class of 2024.

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Georgia wide receiver showcases Tennessee in first-six

Tennessee Vols football recruiting news.

2024 wide receiver prospect Debron Gatling showcased his first six offers on Twitter Sunday.

Gatling is a 6-foot-1, 170-pound wide receiver from Milton high School in Alpharetta, Georgia.

His first six offers are from Tennessee, Georgia, Duke, Minnesota, Georgia Tech and Texas A&M.

Nov 23, 2018; Tampa, FL; UCF Knights head coach Josh Heupel looks on against the South Florida Bulls during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Vols offered Gatling on Jan. 13 before Josh Heupel came to Tennessee.

Heupel was hired as the Vols’ head coach on Jan. 27.

Tennessee currently does not have any commitments for its 2022, 2023 or 2024 recruiting classes.

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Tennessee offers 2024 wide receiver from Georgia

Tennessee Vols’ football recruiting news.

Finding high school freshmen with multiple Power Five offers can be few and far between, but the University of Tennessee has jumped into the mix for one of these prospects.

The Vols extended an offer to Debron Gatling this week, a wide receiver from Alpharetta, Georgia in the 2024 recruiting class.

Gatling is a 6-foot-1, 170-pound wideout who does not yet hold a rating on the 247Sports Composite.

Gatling already has offers from a handful of Power Five programs.

Duke, Texas A&M and Georgia have all joined Tennessee in offering Gatling. Tennessee defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley is listed as Gatling’s primary recruiter.

Fab Four: Selecting Tennessee football’s Mount Rushmore of all-time recruits

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Georgia Bulldogs offer scholarship to elite Milton wide receiver

UGA football has offered a scholarship to 2024 Milton High School wide receiver Debron Gatling.

The Georgia Bulldogs have offered a scholarship to Debron Gatling, who plays wide receiver for Milton High School in Alpharetta, Georgia. Gatling is a member of the class of 2024, so he’s only a freshman in high school.

Despite his age, Gatling already has scholarship offers from Texas A&M and Duke. He’s an in-state recruiting target to watch moving forward for the Bulldogs.

Gatling has decent size at 6 feet, 1 inch and weighs 180 pounds. He’s a good route runner and gains separation easily. On this play against McEachern High School, Gatling showed his ability to get separation on a post route that results in a touchdown:

It will be fun to see Gatling’s game develop. He obviously has a lot of potential, and he’s already been able to show off his abilities against quality competition in high school.

The Milton wide receiver announced his offer via his Twitter account. Congratulations to the young man.

We’ll continue to update you throughout Gatling’s recruiting process. He has a long way to go before making a college decision.

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