Tag: Julius Tate

Fast-rising local lineman explains what stood out to him at Clemson

Last Saturday, Clemson played host to a fast-rising in-state offensive line prospect. Greenville (S.C.) High’s Julius Tate – a 6-foot-4. 305-pound junior in the class of 2024 – was in attendance for Clemson’s 35-12 win over Furman on Saturday, Sept. …

Last Saturday, Clemson played host to a fast-rising in-state offensive line prospect.

Greenville (S.C.) High’s Julius Tate — a 6-foot-4. 305-pound junior in the class of 2024 — was in attendance for Clemson’s 35-12 win over Furman on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium. Tate was joined by his mother and stepfather.

“A big thing that stood out to me was the energy from the fans in the crowd and especially the chants,” he recently told The Clemson Insider in a message. “When I visit Clemson, I always feel welcomed by the coaches with the vibes they give, and when I got to meet more coaches and hear about their backgrounds, I felt more comfortable with them.”

Tate had the chance to catch up with Clemson offensive line coach Thomas Austin this past Saturday. His first time being back on campus since he participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp earlier this summer.

“I talked with Coach Austin and he told me he was glad I could make it,” Tate recalled. “We had a fun conversation about Notre Dame versus Ohio State.”

As far as future game day visits are concerned, Tate has scheduled trips to Florida State and Mercer. He’s looking to visit more schools as the season progresses, but he hasn’t scheduled those just yet.

While Clemson may keep an eye on him during his junior campaign, Tate knows that he has to prove himself in the trenches to receive an offer from the in-state school.

“That’s what my goal is this season,” he told The Clemson Insider earlier this month, “to prove myself.”

Tate, who holds offers from Miami (OH) and South Carolina State, understands that proving himself during his junior campaign will be pivotal to him and his recruitment going forward.

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Big local lineman ‘would love to take’ another visit to Clemson this fall

Julius Tate wanted to go around to different camps this summer to see how much he could learn and improve himself. So, that’s what the 6-foot-4, 310-pound junior in the class of 2024 did, starting with the Dabo Swinney Camp on June 2. It was Tate’s …

Julius Tate wanted to go around to different camps this summer to see how much he could learn and improve himself.

So, that’s what the 6-foot-4, 310-pound junior in the class of 2024 did, starting with the Dabo Swinney Camp on June 2. 

It was Tate’s second time on Clemson’s campus in a mere matter of months. He visited Clemson to tour the facilities and take in a spring practice back on March 12.

In addition to Clemson, he camped at the University of Georgia and the University of South Carolina. He also took an unofficial visit to Louisville earlier this summer.

“When I went to the Clemson camp, it was an amazing experience,” Tate recently told The Clemson Insider. “I had eight teammates down there. I didn’t even realize they went with me. Went down there, got to meet Coach Thomas (Austin). I met a lot of coaches down there that I didn’t expect to meet. It was just great. Just being able to work with Coach Thomas, trying to improve myself, was amazing.”

“It was a great pleasure,” Tate added of meeting Austin. “When I got to talk to him, he had a great personality. He seems like a great coach. Just meeting him was awesome.”

Did anything, in particular, stand out to Tate about his experience at Clemson?

“The drills,” he replied. “Doing the drills at Clemson stuck out more to me because I felt like they were more advanced than when I went to Georgia. I felt Clemson’s camp had more to it. I feel like you took more home with you than what you came with.”

Tate said that the drills he participated in at the Dabo Swinney Camp, felt really similar to what he does at Train Built Performance with Amos Lamb. 

Clemson offensive linemen Jordan McFadden, Mitchell Mayes, Bryn Tucker, Collin Sadler and Mason Johnstone have all spent time working with Lamb. As well as Tate’s teammate at Greenville High, Blake Franks, who picked up an offer from the Tigers recently.

“Without Train Built, I wouldn’t be where I am now,” Tate said. “Train Built is amazing. You get to meet new guys and work out with them. You really build your knowledge with technique especially. Going down there, you can’t think of training as a punishment, but more of an improvement. Train Built is amazing.”

Tate said that Lamb tries to make the linemen that he trains as versatile as possible.

Tate starts at left guard for the Red Raiders, and he’ll shift around from both guard positions from time to time. Franks starts next to him at left tackle and also has the positional versatility to play both guard spots as well.

While Clemson may keep an eye on him during his junior campaign, Tate knows that he has to prove himself in the trenches to receive an offer from the in-state school.

“That’s what my goal is this season,” he said, “to prove myself.”

Tate, who holds offers from Miami (OH) and South Carolina State, understands that proving himself during his junior campaign will be pivotal to him and his recruitment going forward. 

“Getting my first offer from Miami University gave me hope because I felt like I wasn’t being seen,” Tate said. “But, after that offer, I continued to work harder because I felt that I was actually being looked at.”

Tate is very interested to see what schools may possibly reach out to him on Thursday, Sept. 1, once college coaches around the country can have direct contact with juniors in the class of 2024 like Tate.

He’s hoping that Clemson will be one of the schools that reach out. He’s also hoping that he can take a game day visit to Memorial Stadium this fall.

“I would love to take another visit to Clemson and actually see a game in person,” he said. “I’ve never seen a Clemson game in person before.

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Big local lineman says playing with former teammates at Clemson ‘would be awesome’

A big local lineman with a couple of Clemson connections made his way to campus for an unofficial visit last month. Greenville (S.C.) High School offensive/defensive lineman Julius Tate – a 6-foot-4, 310-pound sophomore in the 2024 class – visited …

A big local lineman with a couple of Clemson connections made his way to campus for an unofficial visit last month.

Greenville (S.C.) High School offensive/defensive lineman Julius Tate – a 6-foot-4, 310-pound sophomore in the 2024 class – visited Clemson to tour the facilities and take in a spring practice on Saturday, March 12.

“When I visited Clemson, I had an amazing time meeting the coaches and seeing the facilities,” Tate told The Clemson Insider. “But when going there, I watched the practice and it stood out the most with the offensive line, seeing how physical everybody was on drills trying to improve one another.”

While on campus, Tate had the chance to talk with offensive line coach Thomas Austin.

“When talking I learned about the drills they did for improving techniques on the field,” he said of his conversation with Austin. “I don’t exactly know Clemson’s interest, but I felt like family there.”

Tate is a former teammate of two Clemson freshmen football players – offensive lineman Collin Sadler and tight end Josh Sapp, both of whom played at Greenville High. Sadler enrolled at Clemson in January, while Sapp will enroll this summer.

“Collin and Josh are like brothers in the weight room and on the field,” Tate said of his relationship with them. “They always pushed me to be a better player, and I was Collin’s weightlifting partner in which he helped me increase my strength like no one else.”

Tate would be thrilled to receive an offer from the Tigers one day, even if his former teammates weren’t playing there.

But having the opportunity to suit up with Sadler and Sapp in a Clemson uniform would make an offer from the program even more special for the local lineman.

“Getting an offer from Clemson would be a blessing considering it’s local, close to family, and a great program on and off the field,” Tate said.

“Getting an offer from Clemson would be awesome because I have two teammates there … and playing with my former teammates would be awesome,” he added.

Tate attended Coastal Carolina’s spring game on March 3 and plans to visit Florida for its April 14 spring game. Along with Clemson, Georgia is another school that has shown interest and invited him to visit. He went to Athens last November for a game at UGA.

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