It’s time for this week’s edition of The Insider Report.
We hope everyone had a great weekend.
The latest on multiple safety targets
While Clemson is no longer in the running for Milton (Alpharetta, Ga.) three-star safety Bryce Thornton, who announced a top five Sunday that included Alabama, LSU, Miami, Georgia and Florida, The Clemson Insider has multiple updates to pass along regarding two of Clemson’s safety targets.
Of course, DaKaari Nelson dropped his final six schools on Monday, which obviously included Clemson, but we’ve long maintained that the four-star safety out of Selma (Ala.) remains a top priority for the Tigers, along with Thornton’s teammate at Milton — three-star Robert Billings.
We wanted to pass along the latest information we’ve received on two more safeties in the class of 2023 — Sumner High School (Riverview, Fla.) three-star Kylen Webb and AC Reynolds (Asheville, N.C.) three-star DaShawn Stone.
Webb has been checking in with Clemson co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Mickey Conn, who he says he’s been in contact with at least two times a week. They were on the phone this past week and talked about getting Webb up for an official visit to Clemson from June 3-5.
“Ever since I came up to visit, I feel like me and him’s relationship got stronger,” Webb said. “We’ve started to talk more and form a bond really. We’ve started to talk really about life outside of football, as well as football. He’s talked about coming to my school to also see me in person again. So, our relationship has gotten up to Clemson and received the offer.”
Conn and Wesley Goodwin will eventually make their way to Sumner High School in the coming weeks. That reinforces to Webb that he’s a priority to him.
“It really shows me that they’re really interested and heavy on me,” he said, “and that they’re coming down to see me as well, coming down from Clemson. It’s getting my faith and shows that they want me and they really care about me.”
Webb is currently enjoying the recruitment process and plans to make a decision before the fall. He made sure to reiterate that Clemson is one of the top schools in his recruitment. In addition to Clemson, Webb mentioned UCF and Florida State as the schools recruiting him the hardest at the moment.
With that being said, what are some of the more important factors that Webb is looking for in a school at the next level?
“A school that embraces me right away and that has plans for me to have an impact my freshman year as a true freshman,” he said. “Which, Clemson says they have plans for me. What I’m really looking for at the next level is a place that I can call home and that really develops guys as an athlete all four years and get a good education.”
While Stone doesn’t have an offer from Clesmon like Webb does, that hasn’t stopped the Tigers from pursuing the North Carolina-based safety.
“Coach Conn, he said he really likes me,” Stone said. “They just want to get me up to a camp and evaluate me more.”
Conn stopped by AC Reynolds last week, which shows Stone that Clemson is not only interested in him, but the Tigers are also prioritizing him as a prospect. Right now, it’s a matter of them evaluating Stone a bit more in one-on-one situations, like the Dabo Swinney Camp this summer.
“It means a lot to me,” he said. “It would mean everything because Clemson’s like a big school and everything. It’s just exciting.”
Stone has recently seen his recruitment pick up as he’s added offers from Virginia, Virginia Tech, Liberty and Coastal Carolina. He feels like it’s a testament to the hard work he’s putting in.
An update on Clemson’s search for a second TE in the 2023 class
After securing the commitment of Bridgeland (Texas) four-star Reid Mikeska, it’s no secret that Clemson is still in the market for a tight end. TCI has learned that Clemson has recently been in contact with guys like First Baptist Academy (Naples, Fla.) three-star Olsen Patt Henry, The Loomis Chaffee School (Culver, Ind.) three-star Jackson Culver and Edgewater (Orlando, Fla.) three-star Camp Magee.
We spoke with Henry on Monday, as well as exchanged messages with both Carver and Magee. Though, it was Henry who was able to give us the most extensive breakdown of what he’s been hearing from the Tigers, as tight ends coach and passing game coordinator Kyle Richardson reached out to him last week.
“Coach Richardson, he’s very interested in me and really wants me to come up and see how they work their program,” Henry said. “He really thinks I can be a big impact on their offense. He said I have great ball skills and I can really go up and get the ball when needed.”
What did it mean for Henry to hear from a school like Clemson?
“It’s just a very God-blessing process,” he said. “It’s kind of crazy hearing from Clemson, like a big school like that seeing me as a great player and them seeing me as someone who can be impactful to their school. It’s just a blessing because Clemson’s a very great program and a school like that telling a kid how great they are and really how good skills there are and can be impactful to their team, it’s just a blessing.”
Henry hasn’t discussed an offer with Richardson, but he said he believes in his heart that it will come. We know that Clemson likes to get prospects on campus at least once before pulling the trigger on an offer, so Henry said that he will be making his way up to Tiger Town sometime this summer.
We spoke with Magee on the phone after this week’s edition of The Insider Report was completed. We will have more on the three-star tight end out of Florida’s Edgewater High School at a later day.
Update on 2023 Clemson OL target
We wanted to pass along a quick update on another Clemson offensive line target that appears bound for another school.
Clemson has been a prime contender for South Point (Belmont, N.C.) four-star tackle Sullivan Absher, who named the Tigers one of his final three schools on April 1, along with NC State and Notre Dame.
Absher (6-7, 300) received an offer from Clemson in February, attended the Tigers’ second junior day of the year in early March and returned to campus for the April 9 spring game. He also visited Death Valley for the Boston College and Wake Forest games last season.
While there was some momentum that picked up following Absher’s visit to Clemson on April 9, some of that steam has now worn off after the big-time North Carolina lineman’s extended stay in Notre Dame over the weekend. Absher arrived in South Bend for Notre Dame’s spring game this past Thursday and wound up staying through Sunday.
After speaking with a source, the Irish now seem to be in a prime position to land Absher’s commitment. We won’t go as far to project Absher to Notre Dame, but it’s certainly pointing in that direction after the weekend’s events.
With Reagan (Pfafftown, N.C.) four-star Sam Pendleton announcing for Notre Dame on Monday, Absher could be the second offensive lineman that Clemson loses out on in this cycle to the Fighting Irish.
Absher is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 18 offensive tackle and No. 197 overall prospect in the 2023 class.
Strong mutual interest between Clemson, standout Alabama DE
There is strong mutual interest between Clemson and this standout defensive lineman from the Yellowhammer State.
Opelika (Ala.) 2025 defensive end Malik Autry told TCI recently that out of all the schools recruiting him, “Clemson probably shows me the most interest right now.”
Autry (6-6, 265) made his first unofficial visit this spring to Clemson. He was on campus in mid-March and told TCI that “it just felt like home” to him and “it just seemed like one big whole family.”
While on campus, Autry spent the most time with defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall, and the two have already developed a tight relationship. Autry’s hometown of Opelika is located less than 20 miles from where Hall grew up in Valley, Ala., and Hall has been consistently recruiting Autry for quite some time now.
Hall told Autry that he’s going to try to get to his school this spring, and Autry, who camped at Clemson last June, is looking to get back on campus again this summer.
Autry has early offers from Georgia and Louisville, and said an offer from Clemson in the future, should he receive one, is “definitely going to mean something big to me.”
Even without an offer from Clemson in hand right now, as the Tigers of course haven’t started offering 2025 recruits yet, they are nonetheless one of the teams standing out to Autry early in the recruiting process.
“Clemson’s probably number one,” he said. “Clemson, and Georgia.”
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