Clemson hosted a quartet of official visitors from the 2022 recruiting class this weekend, including a legacy recruit in Gaither (Tampa, Fla.) three-star linebacker Kobe McCloud. McCloud caught up with The Clemson Insider Sunday night and gave the …
Clemson hosted a quartet of official visitors from the 2022 recruiting class this weekend, including a legacy recruit in Gaither (Tampa, Fla.) three-star linebacker Kobe McCloud.
McCloud caught up with The Clemson Insider Sunday night and gave the latest on his recruitment after making his final official visit before he eventually makes a decision.
“It was great,” McCloud said. “I had an amazing time. Words can’t explain. It was just a great time.”
What was the highlight of the official visit for McCloud?
“First, I think the one thing that stood out to me the most was the relationship that they have and how long their coaches have been on staff,” he said. “They’re such a big family, it’s like a great village they built. That’s the difference between them and some of the bigger schools, they don’t have a lot of coaching movement. A lot of coaches that are there are like there for 10-plus years. So, that’s great.
“I spoke with some of the players and they said the coaches show love, like love is their No. 1 thing. Love will come before football. They’ll treat you like your son. I love that, so that stood out to me.”
McCloud is thinking about making a decision soon and wrapping up his recruitment. Prior to this weekend’s official visit, he decommitted from FIU and told TCI that he narrowed his recruitment down to three schools: Clemson, UMass and Arizona
He indicated that this visit got him closer to a commitment and he’ll likely make a decision on his new home sometime this week.
The messaging he heard from the coaching staff was consistent with what McCloud heard during his in-home visit with Dabo Swinney, Wes Goodwin and Brandon Streeter, earlier this week.
“They love me,” he said. “They love how I play on the field. When I got there, they kind of sat me down and walked me through their playbook and stuff. So, that was great. They showed me how they’d utilize me in their defense. Their vision for me was great, so that’s what I loved about it.”
During his visit, McCloud was hosted by Clemson freshman linebacker Jermiah Trotter, Jr. He also spent time with another freshman linebacker in Barrett Carter.
“He loves Clemson,” McCloud said of Trotter. “He loves the philosophies the coaches have. He loves the atmosphere and the relationships he has with the coaches. I was with Barrett Carter too and they kind of said the same thing, ‘These coaches aren’t going nowhere.’ and I want to play with the coaches that recruited me, so I liked that.”
That’s not the only current or former Clemson player that McCloud got to spend time with on his visit. As we previously reported, McCloud’s older brother, Ray-Ray McCloud III, accompanied his family for the official visit.
Ray-Ray had to leave and couldn’t stay around for the festivities on Sunday. That didn’t stop him from being there, though, as he went live on Instagram with his younger brother.
He also spent time with some of his former teammates, who are now on staff, and gave Kobe some words of wisdom and something to think about.
“It was great,” Kobe said. “He showed me the ins-and-outs and stuff. I was just observing the relationship he had with the coaches years later and it was great. They sat me down and gave me a presentation and they keep up with all their players. All their players love to come back and give back.
“Ray was just showing me that this is the place you want to be and I could see where he’s coming from.”
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