Robbie Caldwell – Syndication Server

Freshman OL glad he came to Clemson early to ‘lay down a foundation’

A significant in-state get for Clemson in the class of 2022, Collin Sadler is already enjoying his time in Tiger Town. The freshman offensive lineman, who hails from Greenville (S.C.) is more than happy that he decided to arrive in January as a …

A significant in-state get for Clemson in the class of 2022, Collin Sadler is already enjoying his time in Tiger Town.

The freshman offensive lineman, who hails from Greenville (S.C.) is more than happy that he decided to arrive in January as a mid-year enrollee. He’s gotten the playbook down and looks forward to being a contributor on Clemson’s offensive line going forward.

“It’s been great so far, getting here, getting transitioned and sort of getting the lay of the land,” Sadler told The Clemson Insider at an NIL collective appearance in Clemson on Sunday, July 24. “I’ve just been learning the offense a little but I’m definitely glad that I came early. I was able to lay down a foundation before everything really matters.”

Sadler’s transition to Clemson has been a little different than maybe he would’ve thought it would be, in the sense that he’s been cross-training as a freshman, working at both guard spots, as well as left tackle.

“I’m trying to cross-train and get as much experience as I can at multiple positions to maybe learn the playbook a little bit better,” he said.

When Clemson recruited Sadler out of nearby Greenville High School, the Tigers never led with NIL. Now-former offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell recruited Sadler to be a part of Dabo Swinney’s program and be the same menacing presence on the left side that he was under Greg Porter at the next level.

“I’m very grateful for Coach Swinney not having NIL as a focal point of the program,” Sadler said.

He views last Sunday’s event at Clemson’s Madren Conference Center as an added bonus to everything that Clemson and Swinney’s program has to offer.

“It’s great being able to get out here and see some faces,” Sadler said at the time. “It’s great giving back. Not being in the facility all the time, just getting out in the community. It’s nice to be doing something a little different sometimes.”

Speaking of something a little different, that’s what Sadler has experienced in Clemson’s offensive line room. While Caldwell has been like an extended member of Sadler’s family and once served as his primary recruiter, Sadler will be suiting up once fall camp rolls around under the direction of first-year offensive line coach, Thomas Austin.

“He’s been great,” Sadler said of Clemson’s offensive line coach. “It’s really just a family atmosphere under him, just like Caldwell was. Like Blake (Miller) said, the sense of comradery has been really crazy the last few weeks with the whole paintball thing and all that. I can just really tell that he’s trying to get us more cohesive as a unit, more so than maybe in the past and bringing us all together.”

Sadler has noticed a sense of urgency and a sense of wanting to put last season beyond them.

“Talking to older players, they can tell you that there’s a whole different vibe in the room,” he said. “We’re definitely coming into this season with something to prove and I think it’s gonna show through.”

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Thomas Austin bringing ‘family atmosphere’ to Clemson offensive line room

Clemson’s new offensive line coach is already making an impression on both young and old players on the Tigers’ roster.

This upcoming season will be Thomas Austin’s first as Clemson’s offensive line coach, and despite only being nearly six months into his new role, he is already making an impression on newcomers and veterans.

Speaking at a Dear Old Clemson event on Sunday, four-star freshman Collin Sadler elaborated on what it’s like having Austin as his position coach.

“It’s great,” Sadler said. “He’s a great father figure to me and a great mentor. He really brings a family atmosphere. He invited us to his house several times, and you can see how he treats his family and how he treats us, and there’s really no difference.”

Officially promoted to his new position in February, Austin replaces the long-tenured Robbie Caldwell, who was Clemson’s offensive line coach from 2011 to 2021.

Austin’s coaching ability also seems to resonate with tackle Jordan McFadden, who is entering his fifth year with the Tigers and had Caldwell as his coach for the past four seasons.

“I love coach Austin,” McFadden said at ACC media day on July 20. “He’s genuine, and he cares about us. He played in the NFL. He’s been where I want to go eventually. He has a ton of knowledge. He’s not necessarily a big yeller or anything like that, but he gets his message across very well.”

Austin spent four seasons on Clemson’s coaching staff from 2015 to 2018 and returned for the 2021 season after a two-year stint at Georgia State.

Before his coaching career began, he played three years at Clemson from 2006 to 2009 and took his talents to the NFL for four seasons.

As Clemson’s offensive line looks to improve from last year, Sadler and McFadden’s praise speaks volumes to the group’s belief in Austin as their coach.

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Clemson official visit ‘definitely set the bar high’ for Peach State OL

One of the nation’s top center prospects took in his first official visit at Clemson this past weekend. The Clemson Insider caught up with Kennesaw Mountain (Acworth, Ga.) three-star interior offensive lineman Connor Lew, following his official …

One of the nation’s top center prospects took in his first official visit at Clemson this past weekend.

The Clemson Insider caught up with Kennesaw Mountain (Acworth, Ga.) three-star interior offensive lineman Connor Lew, following his official visit to Tiger Town from June 3-5. In an exclusive interview with TCI, Lew detailed everything from his experience back on campus to where Clemson currently stands in his recruitment.

“The visit was good,” Lew said in a phone interview Monday. “I had a really good time. I didn’t really know what to think. I knew it was gonna be a big event with a lot of recruits there, but I ended up really enjoying it and so did my family.”

What stood out to Lew during his first official visit?

“It was impressive to see how Clemson focused on character development and preparing their student athletes for life,” he said. “It starts up with Coach Swinney and he did a good job of explaining to us and describing the process and how there’s tools and resources for everyone to grow as a person and develop their character while they’re at Clemson.”

This was Lew’s first time back on campus since Clemson pulled the trigger on a scholarship offer on May 20. Lew participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp last summer and he went up for Clemson’s 19-13 win over Boston College back on Oct. 2, 2021, but this was his first time back in Tiger Town since.

“It was big,” he said regarding receiving an offer from the Tigers. “Clemson was on me relatively earlier in building a relationship with me. Their process is drawn out and very deliberate. Knowing that I got a Clemson offer finally, it means a lot, because I know how much a Clemson offer means to everyone.”

What did Lew hear from Clesmon’s coaching staff when he was back on campus?

“They were excited because this was my first time back since the offer,” Lew said. “They were kind of on the fence about offering me for a while and they finally pulled the trigger. They were happy to see me again.”

Lew was happy to see Thomas Austin, as well as Robbie Caldwell when he was back on campus. The more familiar faces, the better, though, up until this past visit, Caldwell was the offensive line coach for Clemson when Lew had been on campus in the past.

Since Caldwell retired from his on-field role, Lew has continued to build a strong relationship with Austin.

“It’s been good,” he said regarding his relationship with Clemson’s offensive line coach. “I started my relationship with Coach Caldwell and, obviously, he stepped down from the coaching aspect and went more to the office, but just being able to pick up where we left off with Coach Austin, he makes it really easy. I really like him as a coach.”

The Peach State offensive lineman still has a really good relationship with Caldwell, who congratulated him on his offer, which was certainly special to him. He still has a lot of relationships there, even though Caldwell is now Director of High School Relations and Sophomore Transition.

That’s not the only relationship Lew was able to strengthen this weekend. While he was hosted by Clemson redshirt sophomore offensive lineman, Trent Howard, he bonded with some of the current players and recruits alike.

“He was great,” Lew said, “and it wasn’t just him. All the o-line recruits grouped up together, so him, Walker Parks, all those guys, we had the opportunity to talk to them and kind of just asked any questions we wanted and they were really open with us. We were able to learn from them, just kind of what it’s like to be a player at Clemson and their experience.”

The best way that Lew could describe this past weekend, among 31 official visitors, is that it was like a family gathering.

“I really liked Clemson going into this,” he said. “Everytime that I go up there, Clemson kind of sells itself, if you will. I can’t really compare it because that was my first official visit, but they definitely set the bar high.”

Lew indicated that Clemson helped themselves with him this past weekend.

“There were a lot of questions that I still needed to get answered,” Lew continued, “and I walked away with no questions.”

After Clemson, Lew will take three official visits in three weekends. He’ll be at the University of Miami, followed by Auburn and then the University of Georgia, all in that order.

All four of those schools round out Lew’s final four.

With Lew hoping to have a decision made before the start of his senior season, what are some of the more important factors he’s looking for in a school at the next level?

“I would say the four biggest for me are the relationships, the education at the school, the development from the coaches and the overall fit or the vibe that I feel at the school,” Lew said.

I had a great official visit at @ClemsonFB Thank you for the hospitality! 🟠🟣🐅 @Coach__TA @Clements_TJC pic.twitter.com/sPeDJ1bg5s

— Connor Lew (@ConnorLew1) June 6, 2022

Clemson showing interest in Big Ten commit

Prior to his commitment to Northwestern University this past Sunday, Clemson had been showing interest in St. Edward (Lakewood, Oh.) four-star outside linebacker Michael Kilbane. While Kilbane verbally pledged to the Big Ten school this past …

Prior to his commitment to Northwestern University this past Sunday, Clemson had been showing interest in St. Edward (Lakewood, Oh.) four-star outside linebacker Michael Kilbane.

While Kilbane verbally pledged to the Big Ten school this past weekend, he recently spoke to The Clemson Insider about the interest he had been receiving from Clemson.

“Coach (Robbie) Caldwell, he called up my high school coach asking about me,” Kilbane said. “I’ve had a little bit of contact with Coach Caldwell and Coach (Nick) Eason. We were talking about a potential visit at some point, so if that works scheduling-wise, that would definitely be a really cool experience to learn about the program and potentially move forward with something like that.”

According to Kilbane, Clemson’s defensive tackles coach told him that he wanted to get him down on a visit and that he really liked him as a player.

“Obviously Clemson is a huge program,” he continued. “A huge program sending a message like that to me and having interest, it really makes me feel good about myself as a player. Getting interest from a school like that is kind of surreal.

“Also, another thing about Clemson that I noticed is that compared to a bunch of other Power Five schools who’ve offered hundreds of kids — no disrespect to that philosophy — Clemson doesn’t really offer a lot of people. A program being that specific in recruiting and being able to talk to me and all that, I think that’s really special.”

Kilbane imagines that if a visit to Clemson were to take place, it would have to happen this summer. He was thinking about setting up a date in the spring, but he had wrestling and his schedule is pretty complicated, so he didn’t have a chance to get out on many visits.

As of last week, Kilbane had locked in official visits to Northwestern, Cincinnati and West Virginia. He committed to Northwestern after an official visit this past weekend and the latter two official visits were set up for the first week of June.

Getting a better feel for Kilbane and his game, while he doesn’t model himself after any particular player, others have told him that he reminds them of former University of Michigan and current Detroit Lions pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson.

Kilbane also mentioned that Ohio State’s defensive line coach Lary Johnson told him that his game is reminiscent of that of Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard.

“I would like to say that I’m a pretty high-motored player,” he said when asked to describe himself as a player. “I feel like I always go 100% every single play and that’s led to a lot of my production, just like a lot of effort plays. Then, I’d also like to think I’m pretty fast and strong because I run a 4.75 40, bench over 300, and squat almost 500. I’d like to think I use my physical tools pretty well. I think I utilize a lot of effort when I play and then, obviously, I use my physical tools as well.”

Rivals considers Kilbane (6-4. 245) to be the nation’s No. 18 outside linebacker in the class of 2023.

— Photo for this article courtesy of Michael Kilbane.

4-star Texas OL has Clemson on his ‘wish list’, excited for upcoming visit

Last week, Vandegrift High School (Austin, TX.) four-star offensive lineman Ian Reed announced that he would be on campus from April 8-to 9 for an unofficial visit and Clemson’s spring game. Reed – a 6-foot-6, 305-pound junior – spoke with The …

Last week, Vandegrift High School (Austin, TX.) four-star offensive lineman Ian Reed announced that he would be on campus from April 8-to 9 for an unofficial visit and Clemson’s spring game.

Reed — a 6-foot-6, 305-pound junior — spoke with The Clemson Insider earlier this week about his upcoming trip to Clemson and what he’s been hearing from the Tigers’ coaching staff as of late.

“They contacted me and all that,” Reed said. “They are very interested in me coming up there. Clemson’s been on my radar for a while, so, of course, why not? And, I’m really excited to go up there. It all came together.”

Reed told us that he’s looking forward to seeing the spring game at Clemson, the culture, how the coaches teach and what their philosophy is.

“I’m just really excited to meet the staff and I’m very excited to see Clemson and their athletes play,” he said.

Both Robbie Caldwell, who now serves as Clemson’s director of high school relations, and offensive line coach Thomas Austin reached out to Reed.

“It was their first time reaching out a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been talking to them here and there,” Reed said. “We’re just getting to know each other and talking about what they like about me and all that. They really want me to come up there and experience Clemson.”

According to Reed, Clemson likes that he’s very versatile — he can play anywhere inside or out, including both guard positions and tackle positions. Additionally, they think that Reed has “pretty great length” and “really great athleticism,” he said. They also like his intelligence for the game and how he can put people in the dirt.

Reed describes himself as athletic with quick feet. He’s got a good knowledge of the game and he has a mauler mentality. He just likes getting after it and loves to compete.

He previously mentioned that Clemson’s been on his radar for a while now, so the big-time offensive lineman out of the Lone Star State was pretty happy when the Tigers finally reached out.

“Clemson’s up there in my recruiting wish list and my college wish list too,” Reed said. “I’ve been watching Clemson before Dabo (Swinney) came in and started winning all those National Championships. I just really like how they’ve played and I really like how their culture’s set up.”

Reed doesn’t have a previous connection to the program. One day, he just turned on the TV and watched Clemson play. The rest is history and he’s followed the program closely ever since.

“I watched them when Coach Austin played in 2008 and 2010,” Reed said. “I told him that and they were like, ‘That’s awesome!’ I’m really excited and looking forward to meeting him.”

Reed mentions schools like Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Michigan State and Ohio State as the schools that are currently standing out in his recruitment, in addition to Clemson.

He visited Texas A&M this past Monday, he’ll be visiting Texas this Saturday and two weeks from now, Reed will obviously be at Clemson and Ohio State. Previously, he visited Texas in January and TCU in December 2021.

— Photo courtesy of Ian Reed’s social media: @ian._reed on Instagram

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Why Swinney expects Caldwell to be ‘huge resource’ in new role

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney confirmed after the Cheez-It Bowl what had long been suspected: Robbie Caldwell was retiring as Clemson’s offensive line coach. But Swinney said then Caldwell would still be involved with the football program in an …

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney confirmed after the Cheez-It Bowl what had long been suspected: Robbie Caldwell was retiring as Clemson’s offensive line coach.

But Swinney said then Caldwell would still be involved with the football program in an off-field role. Last week, Clemson’s Board of Trustees Compensation Committee approved a one-year contract extension for Caldwell to be the Tigers’ director of high school relations and player development.

It’s a role Caldwell will serve in until at least January 2024 assuming he remains at Clemson through the end of his contract. What exactly will it entail?

“He’s going to be excellent from a high school relations standpoint working in recruiting, and then he’ll be doing a lot of scouting and evaluation as well,” Swinney said. “Then obviously once we get into the season, he’ll have a lot of football roles in the self scout, the crossover study, the opponent study. He’s going to be a great resource for us.”

Caldwell knows the lay of the local recruiting land as well as anybody on Clemson’s staff. Now 68 years old, the South Carolina native played his college ball at Furman and spent 35 of his 44 years coaching in the Carolinas. Those included stints at Furman, N.C. State, North Carolina and Clemson, where he was the offensive line coach for the last 11 seasons.

Swinney said the relationships Caldwell has forged over the years is a big reason why he lasted nearly five decades in the coaching profession. It’s also why Swinney believes Caldwell is the perfect fit for his new role, likening him to another former longtime assistant Swinney worked with at Clemson.

“Dan Brooks, that guy, he could recruit with anybody. Everybody loved Dan Brooks,” Swinney said. “It’s the same thing with Robbie. He just has long relationships. He can talk to anybody. He can communicate well. But he’s got great relationships with all these coaches and is just a huge resource for us to be able to put him in a little different role where he can really focus on the bigger picture as opposed to just a segment of the program.”

Fresh off finalizing the nation’s 11th-ranked signing class in the 2022 recruiting cycle Wednesday, according to the 247Sports Composite, Swinney said Caldwell has “already made us better.”

“Robbie’s a worker,” Swinney said. “He’s a guy that looks for work every single day. He’s going to be really, really great in this role.”

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Priority in-state OL gives the latest on his recruitment

The Clemson Insider recently caught up with a priority offensive lineman in the 2023 recruiting class. Oceanside Collegiate Academy (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) four-star Monroe Freeling gave the latest on his recruitment. While he previously reacted to the …

The Clemson Insider recently caught up with a priority offensive lineman in the 2023 recruiting class.

Oceanside Collegiate Academy (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) four-star Monroe Freeling gave the latest on his recruitment. While he previously reacted to the news that Robbie Caldwell would be transitioning into an off-field role, with Thomas Austin taking over as Clemson’s offensive line coach, he was able to go more in-depth in his most recent conversation with TCI.

“I had a feeling when I went up there in the fall, that he was gonna transition to the job,” Freeling said. “That night actually, we kind of were just very close and had a lot of time just hanging out. Since then, it’s just been positive all-around. Even with all the coaching changes, I know that I grew real close with Coach Austin before Coach Elliott left. So, it was good to still have a really good connection with one of the coaches.”

Tony Elliott, who is now the head coach at the University of Virginia, spearheaded Freeling’s recruitment, along with Caldwell. Freeling feels like Clemson handled the transition caused by the coaching staff shakeup the best it possibly could.

“I think it was a really smooth transition,” he said. “I was really always thinking that [Austin] was going to be the head offensive line coach because he was always talking to me a lot. I was talking to him a lot and I just had a feeling that he would probably be the coach eventually.

“With all these coaches leaving and everything, my recruitment process has slowed down, but not with Clemson. I feel like it’s still going up to date.”

Freeling elaborated more on the “feeling” he got regarding Caldwell’s eventual decision to step down.

“Coach Caldwell, I love Coach Caldwell, but it kind of felt like he was just burnt out, even with his real bright spirit,” Freeling said. “I felt like Coach Austin was really getting engaged with everything a lot more than I thought he would. Especially at the camp, I went to, he was doing some hands-on coaching. He was just talking to me a lot and I had a feeling that day that I thought he was gonna be transitioning into the role just because of how involved he was with me and my recruiting process.”

Clemson’s dynamic, as far as its offensive line coaching is concerned, is appealing to Freeling. In addition to Austin, two former Tigers’ offensive linemen — Tyrone Crowder and Brandon Thomas — will work hand in hand with the offensive line as an offensive analyst and offensive graduate assistant, respectively.

“I think it helps,” Freeling said. “I think that knowing that they went to Clemson and got to the next level as offensive linemen really helps the case.”

Clemson’s coaches will either stop by Freeling’s school on Friday, Jan. 14 or Tuesday, Jan. 18. He was unsure about the dates, but Austin and possibly Clemson offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter will be making their way to the Charleston area sometime in the near future.

While he was invited to Clemson’s Elite Junior Day on Jan. 29 and seemed likely to attend, Freeling will not be in attendance.

“I think that I already grew a really good connection with Clemson,” he said. “I pretty much know a lot about Clemson already. I feel like I should use this time to go look at some other schools, just so I can get my gauge and my perspective on my recruiting process.”

Where would Freeling say he’s currently at with his recruitment?

“I really want to narrow my list down soon, but all these coaches keep on bouncing left and right,” he added. “I’m just kind of waiting for everything to really calm down, so I don’t make any mistakes.”

Freeling’s offseason consists of playing basketball, waking up at 6:30 a.m. every morning to take his younger brother to basketball practice and living in the weight room, so he can hold take over all of the all-time weight lifting records at his school.

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Top in-state OL target remains confident in Swinney, Clemson amid staff changes

The Clemson Insider recently caught up with a priority in-state prospect in the 2024 recruiting class. We checked in with Woodland (Dorchester, S.C.) four-star offensive tackle Kam Pringle for the first time since it was announced that Robbie …

The Clemson Insider recently caught up with a priority in-state prospect in the 2024 recruiting class.

We checked in with Woodland (Dorchester, S.C.) four-star offensive tackle Kam Pringle for the first time since it was announced that Robbie Caldwell would be retiring from his current post and transitioning into an off-field role as Clemson’s director of high school relations.

Pringle said that he texted Caldwell. He knew that he couldn’t respond due to NCAA rules and regulations on recruiting, but he wanted Clemson’s now-former offensive line coach to see the message.

“It was definitely something I kind of saw coming,” Pringle said, “maybe not as soon. But, I guess he just felt like it was time for Coach Austin to take over. He told me before — a little while back — to build a good relationship with Coach Austin because he didn’t know how much time he had left in the role of OL coach. I definitely thought he was talking about my sophomore year of college or something later on down the road.”

Fortunately for Pringle, he has started to build a relationship with Thomas Austin, Clemson’s newly minted offensive line coach.

“I definitely like Coach Austin a lot,” he said. “When I went up to camp, Coach Caldwell called the drills, he told people what to do, but, Coach Austin was the one coordinating everything. He made sure that he let Coach Austin get more up close with us than he did because I guess he already knew what he was planning on doing.

“Me and Coach Austin are definitely building a decent relationship. He’s definitely kind of Coach Caldwell-style. He played for Coach Caldwell, I think, and he’s coached under him. He knows how to put guys in the league and how to get o-linemen better.”

Obviously, Clemson has undergone a staff shakeup, which has seen Pringle’s two primary recruiters — Caldwell and Tony Elliott — move on from their prior roles. Elliott, of course, accepted the job to become the next head coach at the University of Virginia.

Despite their absences going forward, Pringle acknowledged that it won’t affect his recruitment.

“Even though two coaches that heavily recruited me left, that doesn’t change what Clemson football is about,” Pringle said. “I have confidence in Coach Swinney and everyone else on Clemson’s staff to do what they need to do to keep being good at football. I definitely look forward to building a relationship with the new coaches and of course still considering Clemson in my recruitment.”

In Pringle’s eyes, it certainly helps that Austin and Brandon Streeter, who were both promoted from within, are two guys who understand the culture and know what it takes to win at Clemson.

“Of course, if Coach Caldwell was all I knew at Clemson football and Coach Elliott was all I knew at Clemson football and then boom, turn around and they’re gone,” he said, “then, I definitely would kind of fallback a little bit and rethink things. But, since I’ve been around everybody, I think they’ve done a good job of not just saying, ‘Hey, Coach Elliott is your dude. Stay around him, only him.’ They definitely did a good job of introducing me to everybody and making sure all the coaches go to know me.”

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Huge Alabama OL high on Austin, Swinney, Clemson

A huge offensive line prospect from the Yellowhammer State on Clemson’s recruiting radar has been in touch with the Tigers’ new offensive line coach, Thomas Austin. Northridge High School (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) offensive lineman Wilkin Formby – a …

A huge offensive line prospect from the Yellowhammer State on Clemson’s recruiting radar has been in touch with the Tigers’ new offensive line coach, Thomas Austin.

Northridge High School (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) offensive lineman Wilkin Formby – a 6-foot-8, 300-pound junior in the class of 2023 – told The Clemson Insider that he was recently in contact with Austin, whose relationship with Formby dates back to Formby’s appearance at the Dabo Swinney Camp last summer.

“We talked a little bit on New Year’s (Eve),” Formby said. “We were just texting back and forth about how our New Year’s Eve was going and stuff.”

Of course, Austin was recently promoted from offensive analyst to offensive line coach for the Tigers, with longtime O-line coach Robbie Caldwell transitioning into an off-field role with the program as a director of high school relations.

“They told me at the camp (last) summer that was probably what was going to happen,” Formby told TCI. “At the camp, me and Coach Austin clicked pretty well, and we had a good relationship there. Anytime we see each other in person, we have a pretty close enough relationship to have easy conversations and stuff. It’s a shame that Coach Caldwell’s leaving, but he’s got a great person taking his job. He’s a great coach, too.”

While Formby has also built a relationship with Caldwell and was sad to see him retire as Clemson’s O-line coach, Formby is confident that Austin will do well in his new role as Caldwell’s replacement.

“As a coach, I think he’s just as good as anyone else. He’s a great coach,” Formby said of Austin. “And as a person as well, he’s a great person, a really nice guy. I think he’s a great coach.”

In addition to camping at Clemson last June, Formby was on campus in November as an unofficial visitor for the Wake Forest game at Death Valley. He plans to visit a bunch of schools between now and this summer and expects to get back to Clemson sooner or later.

“I know I’ll make it to Clemson at some point, I just don’t know exactly when,” he said. “I’ll have to communicate that with Coach Austin. But I’d definitely like to get up there soon because I really enjoyed it the last time I was there.”

Formby holds over a dozen scholarship offers, including offers from schools such as Auburn, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Right now, Formby is taking the recruiting process slowly as he waits to see which other offers come his way, and doesn’t have a firm decision timeline in mind at this time.

“Still just kind of waiting on some more schools,” he said. “Maybe (commit) before my senior season, but who knows.”

Formby is high on Clemson, and an offer from Swinney and the Tigers is certainly on his wish list.

“We could take it back even to the camp. Since the very first time I ever went to Clemson, it always stuck out because of how nice it is, and I love Coach Swinney and how great of a guy he is and how he runs things,” he said. “I like that. So, considering if I got an offer there, that would be great to me because I really enjoy the facilities and the coaches and everyone there. It’s just a great program and a great fan base.”

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Coach gives insight into elite OL’s take on Caldwell’s new role, Austin’s promotion

The Clemson Insider recently spoke with the head coach of an elite prospect in the 2023 recruiting class to get a sense of where his head was at with the news that now-former Clemson offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell would be transitioning into …

Stefan Adams, who is the head coach at Findlay (Oh.) High School touched on Caldwell’s departure and how the transition to Thomas Austin as Clemson’s offensive line coach could impact the recruitment of 2023 four-star offensive lineman Luke Montgomery.

Montgomery, of course, plays for Adams at Findlay and the two, along with Montgomery’s father, were in attendance for Clemson’s 48-27 win over Wake Forest at Memorial Stadium on Nov. 20, 2021.

“It wasn’t solidified,” Adams told TCI. “Obviously, we’ve had connections throughout this whole from the start to the visit, we’ve had contact with Coach Caldwell. And then Coach Austin kind of came into the fold as well. We went down there and visited with him a little bit more, So we kind of figured something like that would wind up being the natural progression.”

Adams had a chance to talk with Montgomery following Dabo Swinney’s announcement last week that Caldwell would be transitioning into the role of the team’s director of high school relations.

“Just seeing it coming and having a little bit of an idea that he’d be stepping into that role,” Adams said. “Luke loves Coach Caldwell. I want to make sure I make that known first. Genuinely enjoy talking to Coach Caldwell and him talking to myself, and his excitement talking about Luke and Luke’s ability, first and foremost as a human being, but really more as a football player as well too. Coach Caldwell obviously is the man.

“Then, you kind of add to the fold in the Clemson way and add you, Coach Austin. Just in our conversations that we’ve had, Luke is definitely excited that Coach Caldwell is gonna stick around the program, but definitely excited to continue to get to know Coach Austin more and more and more as the process goes on.”

Obviously, Adams hasn’t had the level of contact with Austin that he’s had with Caldwell in the past, but he was left very impressed with how Austin handled himself and in which the way he made himself and Montgomery feel at home.

“There are key things to me that really stand out with coaches and their recruiting of a player,” Adams said of Austin. “He’s very genuine. One thing that really stood out to me once again — just being down there — was how much he talked about his wife and his family. How thankful he was for them. That was a big standout that family is important. How much he values his faith was huge. Once again, the genuine conversation is what stood out to me.

“I’ve been lucky enough to sit down with a lot of coaches at all levels and you love it when you have someone who is a genuine person, who is just themselves and you’re able to have a conversation for five minutes or 20 or 30 minutes and it’s all authentic and it’s real. Coach Austin was every bit of that. I really enjoyed getting to know him, his wife and his kids. We really enjoyed even taking a little mini-tour and checking out the facility with him as well too. He’s definitely a Clemson guy. He lives the Clemson way. It’s a big testament to obviously Coach Swinney in how he operates and runs things. He’s getting the best of the best and he’s getting these guys to come back and really step up into these roles. It’s very impressive.”

How does Montgomery feel about Austin?

“He loves him,” Adams said. “Loves him. Loves his energy. Loves his spirit. Easy to talk. Luke is an easy guy to talk to as well. He’s very upbeat, very outgoing. He really is an engaging individual. Those two, just listening to them and watching them converse throughout the whole time, there was a genuine relationship there and definitely an excitement about the future.”

Montgomery, who’s now down to Clemson, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Oklahoma and Michigan in his recruitment, could be returning to Clemson in the near future. There’s a possibility he’ll be in attendance for the program’s Elite Junior Day on Jan. 29, according to Adams, and have an opportunity to see Austin in person for the first time since his promotion.

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