DORCHESTER, S.C. — On The Clemson Insider’s lastest stop on our annual Tour of Champions: Woodland High School.
On the way to watch Clemson’s men’s basketball team in the Charleston Classic, it was imperative to stop and see an eventual five-star prospect in Kam Pringle.
Pringle (6-7, 305) is a four-star offensive tackle in the class of 2024. He’s a prospect, who brings attitude and aggression, as well as some smartness and intelligence. He’s the complete package and someone that Clemson fans will certainly love to hear about.
“Really, the main message has been staying on track, getting ready for my recruitment by Clemson and just being ready when the offer comes,” he told TCI.
“With their [recruiting] policy, they don’t offer until your junior year, maybe in June I think,” Pringle added. “They’re definitely letting me know that they’re interested in me coming and playing football for them, potentially getting an offer.”
A lot of his recruitment has to be done through his head coach, Eddie Ford, because Pringle is only just a sophomore. The NCAA currently prohibits direct contact with sophomore prospects and college coaches, so a lot of what Pringle hears from offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell and Clemson, it’s done through Ford.
“It’s really exciting to see him [be recruited] because I saw him when he was just that little snot nose seventh-grader running around,” Ford quipped. “But, he’s just gotten better and better. He’s got two older brothers, who pushed him along too. It’s been rewarding to see him work and earn what he’s getting because he’s done it the right way.”
Ford has been impressed with the way Clemson, specifically Caldwell, has approached Pringle’s recruitment.
“Coach Caldwell loves him,” Ford said. “He calls me once a week, he talks about Kam. It just doesn’t get any better. I mean, I like what they’re doing, in regards to keeping up on Kam and keeping tabs on him.”
Pringle, who was at Clemson this past summer, participating in the Dabo Swinney Camp, will make his return visit to The Valley this weekend. He’ll be in attendance for Clemson’s last home game of the season against Wake Forest at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
“It’s going to be my first game day in Death Valley, so definitely looking forward to it,” he said.
This won’t be Pringle’s first Clemson game of the season, though. He was in attendance for the Tigers’ season opener against Georgia at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
“It was definitely crazy,” Pringle said. “Even though it wasn’t at Death Valley, there was a lot of Clemson fans there, a lot of Georgia fans too…it was definitely crazy.”
In addition to this weekend’s game in The Valley, Pringle has been on gameday visits to South Carolina and Virginia Tech. He currently holds offers from the University of Georgia, Arizona State, Duke, Florida, Florida State and Memphis, in addition to the two schools previously mentioned.
“It’s definitely been an enjoyable experience, having all these coaches want me to come to play at their school,” Pringle said when asked about his current recruitment. “It’s been a dream I’ve had for a long time. So, I’m just tryna make it come true.”
Beyond his recruitment, Pringle is obviously a special player on the field, but what is it that he brings to the table?
“I try to move around as much as possible,” he said. “I try to do things most 6-7 guys wouldn’t do, like running up the field, trying to get knockdown blocks and just trying to be nasty.”
“He’s a good kid man,” Ford added. “He’s what you want. He’s positive. He’s gonna do the right things. He’s gonna say the right things. He’s gonna be in the right place. He’s gonna do all the things that he needs to do.”
Ford didn’t want to even think about what Pringle’s ceiling could be. It’s extremely high but indicated that he’s someone who can play on Sundays and right now, he’s only just scratching the surface.
“He just gets better and better every year,” Ford said. “I mean massively better and better every year. As he’s getting strong and understanding what football is, just the technical things, staying low, using my hat hands. I mean, the sky is the limit for him.”
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