Tag: Keith Sampson

4-star North Carolina DL looking forward to building more rapport with Clemson’s staff after visit

Clemson made another major impression this weekend on one of its top targets in the 2023 recruiting class. New Bern (N.C.) High School four-star defensive lineman Keith “KJ” Sampson, Jr. was back on campus for Clemson’s Elite Junior Day Saturday and …

Clemson made another major impression this weekend on one of its top targets in the 2023 recruiting class.

New Bern (N.C.) High School four-star defensive lineman Keith “KJ” Sampson, Jr. was back on campus for Clemson’s Elite Junior Day Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed his visit. It was his first time back in The Valley since the Tigers extended a scholarship offer back on Tuesday, Jan. 4.

“I had a great time,” Sampson told The Clemson Insider. “Enjoyed the visit and look to continue to build more rapport with the coaches at Clemson.”

On his visit, he had an opportunity to bond with both Lemanski Hall and Nick Eason. 

Hall, Clemson’s defensive ends coach, has spearheaded Sampson’s recruitment from the getgo and stopped by New Bern High School Friday. As for Eason, he never offered Sampson, while he was at Auburn, but has already played a significant role in his recruitment.

Saturday marked the first time that Sampson was able to meet Eason face-to-face, but they had been talking on the phone with one another. They even bonded over their shared love of music.

“We both love quartet music and we both have a musical background, so that was plus, right off the gate,” Sampson said of Eason. “But, he is a good man, just from what I have seen in person.”

What was the staff’s overall message to him?

“Just to keep working,” he said.

Sampson recently dropped his final five schools on social media a little over two weeks ago. He’s down to Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia, South Carolina and N.C. State. Though, there are still some teams outside his top-5 that are looking like they could be in the mix. North Carolina stopped by his high school this past Thursday and he picked up an offer from Notre Dame a little over a week ago.

Saturday’s visit to Clemson only further put things into perspective for Sampson. The Tigers already held a good spot with him, after entering the mix earlier this month with an offer.

“It’s really high,” he said of where Clemson stands with him. “I will say that.”

Sampson, who 247Sports ranks as the nation’s No. 20 defensive lineman and No. 143 overall prospect in the 2023 class, told us that he plans on returning to Clemson in the near future for another visit, potentially this spring.

He is not close to making a decision, though, as he intends to make his commitment sometime during his senior season.

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Elite Junior Day preview: Top talent flocking to Tiger Town

Clemson is set to host a plethora of top talent on Saturday, when the Tigers will hold their elite junior day and welcome some of the nation’s top prospects in the 2023 class to campus. One of the headlining junior day visitors will be Birmingham …

Clemson is set to host a plethora of top talent on Saturday, when the Tigers will hold their elite junior day and welcome some of the nation’s top prospects in the 2023 class to campus.

One of the headlining junior day visitors will be Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood Christian four-star signal caller Christopher Vizzina (pictured above), the No. 8 quarterback and No. 85 overall prospect in the 2023 class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Vizzina camped at Clemson last summer and returned to campus for the Wake Forest game on Nov. 20, when he picked up an offer from the Tigers. He will be the lone quarterback on campus for Clemson’s elite junior day.

“I’m super excited,” he told The Clemson Insider. “It’s their elite junior day, so everybody up there is one of the top players in the country, so that should be really awesome.”

Among the other headliners expected to be on hand for Clemson’s elite junior day are a pair of five-star defensive tackles in Thompson High School (Alabaster, Ala.)’s Peter Woods and Warner Robins (Ga.) High School’s Vic Burley.

Woods, ranked as the No. 4 defensive lineman in the 2023 class per the 247Sports Composite, released a top six in December that included Clemson along with Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and Oregon. The Tigers extended an offer to Woods back on June 1 of last year – the first day they began offering prospects in the 2023 class. He visited Clemson during the Dabo Swinney Camp last June and returned to campus for the Boston College and Florida State games in October.

Burley, ranked as the No. 6 defensive lineman in the 2023 class according to the 247Sports Composite, likewise received an offer from Clemson on June 1. He was on campus last June as well and returned to Tiger Town for the UConn game in November.

Several other big-time defensive linemen are also slated to be in attendance for Saturday’s elite junior day, including Highland Home (Ala.) four-star Keldric Faulk, Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola four-star Derrick LeBlanc, Columbus (Ga.) Carver four-star Darron Reed, New Bern (N.C.) four-star Keith Sampson and Hickory (N.C.) four-star Rico Walker.

Faulk, Reed, Sampson and Walker all earned offers from Clemson earlier this month. Sampson dropped a top five on Jan. 15 featuring Clemson, Georgia, NC State, Ohio State and South Carolina, while LeBlanc, who received an offer from Clemson last September, named the Tigers one of his final seven schools in December along with Florida, Miami, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State and UCF.

A longstanding Clemson cornerback target in the 2023 class who will make his way back to campus Saturday is Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake four-star Avieon Terrell – of course, the younger brother of former Clemson and current Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell.

Clemson offered the younger Terrell back in April 2020, and he’s made countless trips to The Valley ever since. He is ranked as the No. 15 cornerback and No. 103 overall prospect nationally in the 2023 class, per Rivals.

Terrell will be joined at Clemson’s elite junior day by a couple of other standout defensive backs: Coppell (Texas) four-star cornerback Braxton Myers and Selma (Ala.) four-star safety DaKaari Nelson.

Myers received an offer from Clemson on Wednesday of last week, and head coach Dabo Swinney paid a visit to his school earlier this week. Nelson doesn’t currently hold an offer from the Tigers, though they’re showing substantial interest and co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Mickey Conn stopped by his school on Thursday.

“Lately they’ve been saying they like the way I play and they want to offer me, but Coach Swinney wants to see me in person before they do,” Nelson told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview Thursday.

Other prominent prospects planning to attend Clemson’s elite junior day include Roswell (Ga.) Blessed Trinity Catholic four-star running back Justice Haynes, Pfafftown (N.C.) Reagan four-star offensive lineman Sam Pendleton, Lakeland (Fla.) four-star wide receiver Tyler Williams and Jacksonville (Fla.) Andrew Jackson four-star linebacker Grayson Howard.

As always, visitor lists like this one are fluid and subject to change. But here is the full list of prospects that The Clemson Insider has confirmed as expected visitors for Saturday’s elite junior day:

Warner Robins (Ga.) 2023 5-star DL Vic Burley

Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson 2023 5-star DL Peter Woods

Columbus (Ga.) Carver 2023 4-star DL Darron Reed

Highland Home (Ala.) 2023 4-star DL Keldric Faulk

New Bern (N.C.) 2023 4-star DL Keith Sampson

Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola 2023 4-star DL Derrick LeBlanc

Hickory (N.C.) 2023 4-star DL Rico Walker

Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood Christian 2023 4-star QB Christopher Vizzina

Selma (Ala.) 2023 4-star S DaKaari Nelson

Pfafftown (N.C.) Reagan 2023 4-star OL Sam Pendleton

Lakeland (Fla.) 2023 4-star WR Tyler Williams

Roswell (Ga.) Blessed Trinity Catholic 2023 4-star RB Justice Haynes

Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake 2023 4-star CB Avieon Terrell

Jacksonville (Fla.) Andrew Jackson 2023 4-star LB Grayson Howard

Coppell (Texas) 2023 4-star S Braxton Myers

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Clemson in final 5 for 4-star North Carolina DL

A Tar Heel State defensive lineman, who recently picked up a Clemson offer, dropped his final five schools on Saturday afternoon via social media. New Bern (N.C.) High School four-star Keith Sampson, Jr. is down to Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia, …

A Tar Heel State defensive lineman, who recently picked up a Clemson offer, dropped his final five schools on Saturday afternoon via social media.

New Bern (N.C.) High School four-star Keith Sampson, Jr. is down to Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia, South Carolina and N.C. State.

Sampson (6-4, 285) is ranked by 247Sports as the nation’s No. 20 defensive lineman and No. 143 overall prospect in the 2023 class.

The offer he had been waiting for, finally came on Tuesday, Jan. 4, when Sampson was informed of his offer during a FaceTime call with Clemson defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall and co-defensive coordinator Mickey Conn.

“I knew it was coming eventually, I just didn’t know when it was coming because I knew that their recruiting process was slower, and Coach Hall just kept telling me to be patient,” Sampson told The Clemson Insider shortly after receiving the offer. “So, it was just one of those things. It was a surprise, but at the same time, you knew that was coming.”

With an offer from the Tigers now in tow, Sampson will travel to Clemson for its elite junior day on Jan. 29. He is also slated to visit South Carolina on Jan. 15 and N.C. State on Jan. 22.

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Clemson gives 4-star DL offer he ‘really wanted’

New Bern (N.C.) High School four-star defensive lineman Keith Sampson Jr. had a good idea that an offer from Clemson was in the cards for him. The highly regarded class of 2023 prospect just didn’t know when exactly that offer from the Tigers would …

New Bern (N.C.) High School four-star defensive lineman Keith Sampson Jr. had a good idea that an offer from Clemson was in the cards for him. The highly regarded class of 2023 prospect just didn’t know when exactly that offer from the Tigers would be coming his way.

It finally did on Tuesday, when Sampson was informed of his offer during a FaceTime call with Clemson defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall and co-defensive coordinator Mickey Conn.

“I knew it was coming eventually, I just didn’t know when it was coming because I knew that their recruiting process was slower, and Coach Hall just kept telling me to be patient,” Sampson told The Clemson Insider shortly after receiving the offer. “So, it was just one of things. It was a surprise, but at the same time, you knew that was coming.”

Although Sampson wasn’t totally surprised by the offer, that didn’t make it any less special for the 6-foot-4, 285-pound junior.

“I definitely had a big smile on my face,” he said. “I will say Clemson’s one of the schools that I really wanted to get an offer from. I really like them. I’ve just always liked their school.”

What did Sampson – ranked by 247Sports as the nation’s No. 20 defensive lineman and No. 143 overall prospect in the 2023 class – hear from Hall and Conn when they extended the offer?

“They just loved my tape,” Sampson said. “They said they like how I play, and they just like me as a person. They heard good things from Coach Hall about me. So, they just loved everything about me.”

Sampson has been building a strong bond with Hall and estimates they communicate in some capacity about three to five times a week.

“It’s growing a lot,” Sampson said of his relationship with Hall. “If it’s not every day, then it’s every other day that we’re talking, in some shape.”

With an offer from the Tigers now in tow, Sampson will travel to Clemson for its elite junior day Jan. 29. He is also slated to visit South Carolina on Jan. 15 and NC State on Jan. 22.

The Gamecocks and Wolfpack have both offered Sampson as well, along with schools such as Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida and Florida State, among others.

Sampson plans to drop his top five schools on Jan. 15, and intends to make his commitment sometime during his senior season.

The Tigers are in a good spot with Sampson, he says, after entering the mix with Tuesday’s offer.

“It’s really high,” he said of where Clemson stands with him. “I will say that.”

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Clemson extends new offer to 4-star North Carolina DL

Clemson has extended a new scholarship offer to a standout prospect in the class of 2023. New Bern (N.C.) High School four-star defensive lineman Keith Sampson Jr. announced via social media Tuesday that he has been offered by the Tigers. Sampson …

Clemson has extended a new scholarship offer to a standout prospect in the class of 2023.

New Bern (N.C.) High School four-star defensive lineman Keith Sampson Jr. announced via social media Tuesday that he has been offered by the Tigers.

Sampson (6-3, 285) is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the Tar Heel State, No. 20 defensive lineman nationally and No. 143 overall prospect in the 2023 class, per 247Sports.

Sampson, a junior, also lists offers from Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, NC State, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida State among numerous others.

Clemson defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall paid a visit to Sampson’s school in early December.

“It was really cool just to see that he went out of his way to come see me,” Sampson said to The Clemson Insider. “My coach told me he was in Alabama, I want to say, literally the day before, and he hopped on the plane and came to my school.”

The offer from Clemson is one Sampson had been hoping for.

“It would be pretty cool just to see if I can get an offer from them because Clemson has always been a good school,” he said. “They’ve had a down year, but they bounce back. So, it would be pretty cool just to see if I can get an offer from them.”

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UGA football among top schools for 4-star DL Keith Sampson

The Georgia Bulldogs are among the top ten schools for class of 2023 defensive line recruit Keith Sampson.

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The Georgia Bulldogs are among the top ten schools for class of 2023 defensive line recruit Keith Sampson.

Sampson is ranked as a four-star recruit. He plays football for New Bern High School in New Bern, North Carolina.

Keith Sampson is rated as the No. 217 recruit in his class. He’s ranked as the No. 6 prospect in North Carolina for the class of 2023.

Keith “KJ” Sampson named his top ten schools via his Twitter account:

The New Bern High School star puts Duke, Alabama, ECU, NC State, UNC, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Ohio State, and Florida State in his top ten schools. Sampson states that his recruitment is still open.

The 6-foot-3, 285-pound defensive line recruit would fit into Georgia’s scheme as a 3-4 defensive end or possibly as a nose tackle if he can beef up in his next year plus of high school.

Kirby Smart and UGA have one commitment from a North Carolina prospect in the class of 2022 in four-star linebacker Jalon Walker. Georgia has expanded its recruiting territory under coach Smart.

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Top D-line prospect talks growing relationship with Hall

Clemson defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall continues to stay in touch with this standout D-line prospect from the Tar Heel State. New Bern (N.C.) High School four-star class of 2023 recruit Keith Sampson heard from Hall again this week. “Me and …

Clemson defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall continues to stay in touch with this standout D-line prospect from the Tar Heel State.

New Bern (N.C.) High School four-star class of 2023 recruit Keith Sampson heard from Hall again this week.

“Me and Coach Hall just texted yesterday actually,” Sampson told The Clemson Insider earlier this week. “So, I’ve been hearing from Coach Hall.”

What message did Hall convey to the 6-foot-4, 285-pound junior during their latest text conversation?

“Same thing – just keep working hard, keep being a leader and just keep perfecting my craft,” Sampson said.

Sampson, who has camped at Clemson in the past and returned to campus for an unofficial visit in July, feels his relationship with Hall is growing.

“It’s getting better,” he said. “It’s getting stronger from when I first met him. But it’s definitely getting better.”

“He’s a good man,” Sampson added. “He’s genuine.”

Sampson will soon narrow down his list of nearly 20 scholarship offers when he announces his top 10 schools this coming Wednesday.

Clemson won’t make the list, as the Tigers have not yet offered Sampson, who said his top 10 will only feature schools that have offered him. However, Sampson isn’t looking to commit until sometime during his senior season next year, so Clemson has time to potentially enter the mix moving forward.

Although Clemson’s 2021 season hasn’t gone how Dabo Swinney and company would have hoped to this point, Sampson likes the fight he’s seen in the Tigers.

“Even though they’re having a down year, they just keep fighting and just keep trying to get better,” he said. “You can tell that even though they’re having a down year, that they’re improving every week. That’s a big thing for me.”

Sampson said he’s looking to possibly visit Death Valley for a game before season’s end. He attended the Clemson-UGA game in Charlotte and has also been to games at North Carolina and NC State this season, while he will be at Virginia Tech for its game vs. Notre Dame tonight and plans to visit Ohio State for its game vs. Penn State on Oct. 30.

Georgia, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia Tech, Ohio State and Penn State have all offered Sampson, along with schools such as Alabama, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Florida, Florida State, Duke and Virginia.

Sampson is ranked as the No. 26 defensive lineman and No. 171 overall prospect in the 2023 class by 247Sports. Through the first five games of his junior season, he was credited with 36 total tackles, including 11 for loss and six sacks.

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