Tag: Ryan Henley

Clemson ‘still at the top’ for North Carolina RB ahead of Clemson visit this weekend

A talented 2024 running back hailing from the Tar Heel State will be back in Tiger Town this weekend. Charlotte (N.C.) Christian School’s Ryan Henley will be making the trip back up to Clemson for the Tigers’ meeting with Miami today. Henley’s visit …

A talented 2024 running back hailing from the Tar Heel State will be back in Tiger Town this weekend.

Charlotte (N.C.) Christian School’s Ryan Henley will be making the trip back up to Clemson for the Tigers’ meeting with Miami today. Henley’s visit comes after the talented running back took an unofficial visit back in September for the Furman game.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back down there this weekend,” Henley told The Clemson Insider. “This will be the first time my mom gets to see what a game is like at Clemson, so I’m excited for her to get to see what it’s like.”

The 5-foot-10, 184-pound junior has since taken one other unofficial visit to UConn and has garnered interest from UConn, Virginia and App State, but Clemson still remains at the top for Henley who says the culture is what keeps bringing him back.

“Clemson’s still at the top, but UConn has definitely picked it up,” he said. “I just went up there for a visit, so they’ve started picking it up in the last couple of months.”

Since his last visit back in September, Henley has stayed in contact with offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter, passing game coordinator Kyle Richardson and running backs coach C.J. Spiller, and explained why Clemson remains at the top of his recruitment.

“It really just goes back to that culture; I think that’s the biggest reason why,” Henley said. “Culture’s a really big thing for me in that it matters a lot because you’re not always going to have the same coaches around, you’re not always going to be winning games, but that culture stays the same and that’s important to me.

“Just the family environment; They’re trying to develop you as a person beyond football. They constantly reiterate the 30-year-old you instead of just the 18-year-old you that they’re recruiting right now or however old you are. I think that’s really important to me and my family just because they’re looking out for you beyond Clemson and they’re trying to get you opportunities beyond Clemson, which that really is important to me.”

In addition to prior visits to Clemson along with back-to-back summers at Dabo Swinney Camp, the Charlotte native has had the chance to get to know and work out with current Clemson running back Will Shipley.

For Henley, it’s been fun seeing Shipley encounter so much success at the next level as the high school junior has seen similar success with over 500 all-purpose yards, six touchdowns and a trip to the state championship this season.

“I love to see that he’s having so much success,” Henley said of Shipley. “It’s exciting to see someone who you know kind of do their thing on the big stage. They’re getting him the ball in their seam game and the running game. You kind of see it when it’s posted on social media, it’s all-purpose yards, not necessarily just rushing yards. Whenever I talk to him, that’s kind of how they see me being utilized. …

“He had that 50-yarder the other week and that was great to see him hit those home runs again. I was watching him in high school hitting those home runs left and right, so it’s really kind of cool to see it translate to the college level now.”

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Charlotte RB details latest Clemson visit, would ‘love’ to play at Death Valley

A talented, versatile running back from the Tar Heel State was back in Tiger Town last Saturday. Charlotte (N.C.) Christian School’s Ryan Henley made an unofficial visit to Clemson and took in the Tigers’ 35-12 win over Furman at Death Valley. “I …

A talented, versatile running back from the Tar Heel State was back in Tiger Town last Saturday.

Charlotte (N.C.) Christian School’s Ryan Henley made an unofficial visit to Clemson and took in the Tigers’ 35-12 win over Furman at Death Valley.

“I really loved getting down there,” he told The Clemson Insider. “Every time I go down there, it’s a joy to see that the culture remains the same – that culture being consistent and the message from the coaches remaining consistent. But this time, I got to talk with a lot of the coaches and got to sit down and hear what they had to say, which is really cool. I think it kind of gave me a better sense of where I stand with them than last year’s unofficial.”

Henley, a prospect in the class of 2024, visited Clemson for the Florida State game last October and has participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp each of the last two summers.

The 5-foot-10, 184-pound junior explained where he stands with the Tigers at this point in the recruiting process based on what he’s heard from the coaches.

“They really like me,” he said. “I think they’re just still continuing to build that relationship. I’ve scheduled some calls with Coach (C.J.) Spiller, so we’re going to be able to continue to have communication there, build upon that relationship, and I think that’ll be extremely important to the recruiting process there.”

“They were kind of saying they like what I’m doing,” he added. “They’re kind of looking for a back that’s versatile like what I can do in terms of the slot and running back, and then being involved in that return game as well and kickoff and just getting involved in special teams.”

Along with Clemson, schools such as South Carolina, Duke, Virginia, Northwestern and UConn have shown interest in Henley, who rushed for more than 800 yards, averaged 8.1 yards per carry and racked up 900-plus all-purpose yards as a sophomore last season.

In the first game of his junior campaign this year, Henley totaled 130 all-purpose yards and a touchdown. Then, in his team’s second game, he filled in at slot receiver due to injuries and made a big impact while accounting for 98 yards and two touchdowns.

While on campus Saturday, Henley and his father were able to sit down and speak with Spiller for about 30 minutes, and Henley feels his relationship with Clemson’s running backs coach “definitely” grew stronger while spending more time with him.

“I definitely got to get a better sense of who he is, and I think he got a better sense of who I was,” Henley said. “I think every time, it’s always super easy to talk to him and there’s nothing forced there, and it just makes it really feel like home down there. You’re like family.”

Henley also had the chance to hang around with Clemson’s running backs in the locker room after the game.

“I got the opportunity to talk with all the running backs and break it down with all those guys, which was really cool to see what (Spiller’s) message was, and I got to pray with them after,” Henley said. “I thought that was really cool that (Spiller) was getting me involved with some of those players. How the players were with me, they were extremely welcoming and willing to get me involved, and I think it just shows the culture of that running back room and the team that they’re willing to get everyone involved.”

Henley tries to model his game after Clemson’s starting running back – a fellow Charlotte-area native in sophomore Will Shipley. The two have a good relationship and have worked out together on several occasions.

Henley enjoyed seeing Shipley run for a couple more scores in the Furman game, bringing his rushing touchdown total up to four through two games this season.

“That was extremely exciting to see him score a couple TDs,” Henley said. “I think there’s a lot more in store for him this season, and I’m excited to see where that goes this year. He’s been scoring a lot this year at the start, so I think that’s really exciting.”

Saturday’s visit to Clemson was Henley’s first game visit to any school this fall. He looks forward to checking out some other schools throughout the season but is eyeing another visit to Death Valley as well.

“I talked with Coach Spiller about getting down there for another game sometime later this fall, one of the bigger games,” Henley said. “He said I was welcome at any game I want to, but I’ll definitely try to get back to one of those bigger games and get a feel for that environment on one of those gamedays, too.”

As for the atmosphere in The Valley last Saturday, Henley came away very impressed and would be thrilled to have the opportunity to play there in the future.

“The fans are extremely energetic,” he said. “It was the home opener, so they were all crazy. It was really cool to walk in there and see almost the full stadium for that first game. The energy was unmatched. It’s really cool to see that.

“I’d love to be able to suit up and play for all those fans one day. I think that’d be really, really cool to go down there and kind of do my thing.”

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

The Insider Report: Recruits react to Clemson game-day visit

It’s time for this week’s edition of The Insider Report. We hope everyone had a great weekend. Update on nation’s No. 1 LB after latest Clemson visit Sammy Brown has made a bunch of trips to Clemson since the spring and was back on campus again last …

It’s time for this week’s edition of The Insider Report.

We hope everyone had a great weekend.

Update on nation’s No. 1 LB after latest Clemson visit

Sammy Brown has made a bunch of trips to Clemson since the spring and was back on campus again last weekend as one of the headliners among the prospects in attendance for the Furman game.

The Clemson Insider caught up with the five-star prospect from Jefferson (Ga.) High School and the nation’s top-ranked linebacker in the 2024 class about his latest visit experience.

Brown (6-2, 227) told us that he “had a really good time” Saturday and enjoyed being able to catch up with Clemson’s coaching staff and speak with them in person.

Brown said he has “a great relationship” with the Tigers’ staff and finds the coaches really easy to talk to. He said he was able to talk with them like he talks to friends – for example, he and defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Wes Goodwin chopped it up about the upcoming hunting season and things like that.

The biggest thing that stood out to Brown on Saturday, he said, was seeing the Tigers wear “E11A Strong” T-shirts during Tiger Walk prior to the game to show support for Bryan Bresee’s sister, Ella, who is battling brain cancer.

“I thought that was really cool and it really shows that family that Clemson has,” he said.

Asked if Saturday’s visit changed anything about where the Tigers stand with him right now, Brown said he wouldn’t say it changed anything but it “definitely was a reassurance of what I already know about them.”

As for future visits, Brown said he and his family are just taking it week by week and don’t have any more set up right now but will probably make it to games around their area.

Brown became the first prospect in the 2024 class to receive an offer from Clemson when he picked up the offer while on campus for the program’s underclassmen day on March 12. He then returned on April 6 to take in the Tigers’ final spring practice prior to their April 9 spring game, before traveling back to campus for another visit during the Swinney Camp in June.

TE with Clemson tie returns to Tiger Town

A fast-rising tight end prospect from the Peach State, with a Clemson connection, returned to Tiger Town for the Furman game.

Milton (Ga.) High School’s Ryan Ghea – a 6-foot-5, 220-pound sophomore in the 2025 class – was back on campus after competing at the Dabo Swinney Camp in June.

Saturday marked his first game-day visit to Clemson.

“I really enjoyed it,” he told TCI. “I had a very good time enjoying everything and just taking it all in.”

“It was a crazy atmosphere between the fans, players, everything,” he added.

Ghea was shown around by offensive analyst Tajh Boyd and also had the chance to spend time with tight ends coach Kyle Richardson and his family in his office.

According to Ghea, Richardson told Ghea that he wants him to camp at Clemson again next summer and explained that Clemson isn’t a school that offers early. Richardson said he wants Ghea to continue sending his film and keep building their relationship.

Ghea said as a tight end, Richardson likes his size, ability to catch the ball with his hands and his playmaking ability all over the field. He also likes Ghea’s physicality and blocking ability, whether it be blocking defensive linemen, linebackers or defensive backs.

Richardson asked if Ghea wanted to come back for the Miami game in November, and he’s going to see if he can make it back for that.

Ghea’s Milton teammate – four-star Clemson safety commit Rob Billings – is planning to be at that game.

The two have built a good bond.

“We started hanging out over this last year, growing our relationship, whether that’s football, watching film together, or if that’s like golfing together, stuff like that,” Ghea said.

Indiana, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Liberty and UConn all offered Ghea in May before Florida State and Ohio State joined his quickly growing offer list in June. NC State gave him his latest offer in late July.

Tar Heel State RB ‘really loved’ getting back to Clemson

A talented and versatile running back from the Tar Heel State was back in Tiger Town last weekend.

Charlotte (N.C.) Christian School’s Ryan Henley attended the Furman game.

“I really loved getting down there,” he told TCI. “Every time I go down there, it’s a joy to see that the culture remains the same, that culture being consistent and the message from the coaches remaining consistent. But this time, I got to talk with a lot of the coaches and everything and got to sit down and hear what they had to say, which is really cool. I think it kind of gave me a better sense of where I stand with them than last year’s unofficial.”

Henley, a prospect in the class of 2024, visited Clemson for the Florida State game in 2021 and has participated in the Swinney Camp each of the last two summers.

The 5-foot-10, 184-pound junior explained where he stands with the Tigers at this point in the process based on what he’s heard from the coaches.

“They really like me,” he said. “I think they’re just still continuing to build that relationship. I’ve scheduled some calls with Coach (CJ) Spiller, so we’re going to be able to continue to have communication there, build upon that relationship, and I think that’ll be extremely important to the recruiting process there.”

“They were kind of saying they like what I’m doing,” he added. “They’re kind of looking for a back that’s versatile like what I can do in terms of the slot and running back and then be involved in that return game as well and kickoff and just getting involved in special teams.”

Along with Clemson, schools such as South Carolina, Duke, Virginia, UConn and Northwestern have shown interest in Henley, who rushed for more than 800 yards, averaged 8.1 yards per carry and racked up 900-plus all-purpose yards as a sophomore last season.

In the first game of his junior campaign this year, Henley totaled 130 all-purpose yards and a touchdown. Then, in his team’s second game, he filled in at slot receiver due to injuries and made a big impact while accounting for 98 yards and two touchdowns.

Clemson making a move with Peach State CB, teammate of current Tiger

Another name worth keeping an eye on is that of College Park (Ga.) Douglas County’s Israel Boyce, who was back on campus for the Furman game this past weekend. Boyce — a 6-foot, 175-pound cornerback in the class of 2024 — returned to campus after previously participating in the Dabo Swinney Camp back in June.

“My time at the Clemson game was a great experience,” Boyce told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview Sunday night. “I felt like family as soon as I got there. I got to do a lot of stuff, like we got to run across the field, going up the hill — that was all a great experience. The coaching staff, I felt like they was very genuine.”

Boyce heard directly from Mike Reed on Sept. 1 and they’ve maintained close contact since then. According to Boyce, Clemson’s cornerbacks coach “snuck up” on him before Clemson’s 35-12 win over Furman on the sideline. They talked about how his season is going right now, but at the same time, Boyce said they talk just about every day.

Remember, Reed is also now the position coach of true freshman cornerback Myles Oliver, who is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery. That’s important to note here because Boyce and Oliver are close friends and former teammates at Douglas County High School.

“I’m getting a lot of love (from Clemson),” Boyce said. “I’m feeding into it. It might be the one.”

Notes on a couple of Clemson commits

The Clemson Insider confirmed over the weekend that Rome (Georgia) four-star defensive lineman, Stephiylan Green, was in attendance for Clemson’s home opener at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

The news comes after Green was in attendance for Georgia’s 49-3 win over Oregon in Atlanta a week prior. While Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs are still pursuing the Clemson commit, it’s a positive development that Green was in attendance for Saturday’s game, along with Peter Woods, A.J. Hoffler, Ronan Hanafin, Dee Crayton, Branden Strozier, Rob Billings and Zechariah Owens.

Speaking of Hoffler, we had the chance to catch up with him on Sunday night, following his first-ever Clemson gameday experience. Of course, that came on the heels of defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall being in attendance for his game on Friday, in which he recorded three sacks.

“He was really pleased with my game,” Hoffler said of Hall.

Hall, along with the rest of Clemson’s coaching staff, was happy to have Hoffler back on campus. Hoffler felt like he was a part of the team without officially being a part of the roster — that won’t happen until next summer. In any event, he plans on being at just about every Clemson home game this season.

Clemson involved with rising Sunshine State WR

While it remains to be seen whether or not Clemson will add up to three wide receiver commits to its 2023 recruiting class, The Clemson Insider has learned that the Tigers appear to be involved with another senior wideout.

According to Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons WR Patrick Stepelton, Tyler Grisham has been communicating with his father since the spring. Clemson’s wide receivers coach tried to get him up over the summer for a camp, but the dates just didn’t work out. 

Grisham followed Stepelton on Twitter the other day and later texted his father, saying that he was looking great and that he would like to get him up to Clemson for a recruiting visit. Stepelton told TCI that he will “100%” be getting up to Tiger Town for a game at some point this season.

While nothing is imminent, Stepelton is viewed as a fast-rising prospect, who could potentially blow up this season, much like Cole Turner. While he doesn’t have the credentials that Noble Johnson or Ronan Hanafin may have, the 6-foot-2, 197-pound wideout could have a similar trajectory to that of Turner, who has received rave reviews since arriving at Clemson.

In any event, he’s a name worth passing along at this point.

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Versatile Charlotte RB hears from Clemson, plans to visit this weekend

A talented and versatile running back from the Tar Heel State will be back in Tiger Town this weekend. Charlotte (N.C.) Christian School’s Ryan Henley plans to attend Clemson’s home opener against Furman on Saturday. “Looking forward to getting down …

A talented and versatile running back from the Tar Heel State will be back in Tiger Town this weekend.

Charlotte (N.C.) Christian School’s Ryan Henley plans to attend Clemson’s home opener against Furman on Saturday.

“Looking forward to getting down there!” he told The Clemson Insider.

Henley, a prospect in the class of 2024, was previously on campus when he worked out at the Dabo Swinney Camp on June 2. He first caught the eye of Clemson running backs coach C.J. Spiller at the Swinney Camp in the summer of 2021, and according to Henley, Spiller was even more impressed by his camp performance this summer.

Henley told TCI that Spiller reached out to him on Sept. 1, the first day college coaches were allowed to directly contact junior prospects, and he also heard from other members of Clemson’s staff including offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter, passing game coordinator/tight ends coach Kyle Richardson and director of recruiting strategy Ty Clements.

“It was really encouraging seeing that they have that type of interest,” Henley said. “Hoping to continue to build a relationship with the coaches and head in a positive direction.”

Along with Clemson, schools such as South Carolina, Duke, Virginia, UConn and Northwestern have shown interest in Henley, who rushed for more than 800 yards, averaged 8.1 yards per carry and racked up 900-plus all-purpose yards as a sophomore last season.

In the first game of his junior campaign this year, Henley totaled 130 all-purpose yards and a touchdown. Then, in his team’s second game, he filled in at slot receiver due to injuries and made a big impact while accounting for 98 yards and two touchdowns.

As he goes through the season, that type of versatility is among the things Henley hopes to show college coaches he can bring to the table at the next level.

“Really just showing them I’m extremely versatile, being able to play a lot of that slot as well as running back,” he said. “Right now, really just been patient with it all and focused on doing what’s right for the team, and I feel like the individual accolades and all that will take care of itself as long as I keep the team success as my main priority.

“Diving deeper into my game, I’m hoping to show that my speed is better in making those second-level defenders miss. I’m really hoping to show that’s a lot better and improved from last year. I think that’s kind of what lacked a little bit last year, and I had some missed opportunities that I really wish I could’ve capitalized on. I learned a lot and I grew a lot as a football player last year, so I think I’m improving a lot there.”

Henley tries to model his game after a fellow Charlotte-area native in Clemson sophomore running back Will Shipley. The two have a good relationship and have worked out together on several occasions.

Henley looks forward to watching Shipley this season and seeing how he follows up his freshman season in 2021, when he led the Tigers with 738 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns despite missing three games with a leg injury.

“I’m really excited to see what he does this year, for sure. I think it’ll be really interesting,” Henley said. “I think that injuries kind of got in the way of his success and all of that, but knowing him and knowing how he demands excellence and expects a lot of himself, I’m really excited to see what he’s going to do.”

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Clemson’s ‘consistent’ message resonates with talented Tar Heel State RB

A talented running back from the Tar Heel State, who is drawing interest from Clemson, returned to Tiger Town last month to compete at the Dabo Swinney Camp. Charlotte (N.C.) Christian School’s Ryan Henley – a 5-foot-10, 184-pound rising junior in …

A talented running back from the Tar Heel State, who is drawing interest from Clemson, returned to Tiger Town last month to compete at the Dabo Swinney Camp.

Charlotte (N.C.) Christian School’s Ryan Henley – a 5-foot-10, 184-pound rising junior in the class of 2024 – worked out at the camp on June 2.

“I loved it,” Henley said of his Swinney Camp experience in an interview with The Clemson Insider. “Every time I get down to Clemson, I really like it. Being around all the players and the coaches, it’s just great to be around that environment and the culture. And getting to see how the players interact with each other, I think that’s really important to me. I just think it’s cool to see that they all enjoy their time out there. They don’t really have to be out there. That’s not a mandatory thing for some of those guys, but they take their time and go out there with us and give us their knowledge. So, I really appreciate all that from all the running backs, and the coaches as well.”

Speaking of the coaches, Henley caught the eye of Clemson running backs coach C.J. Spiller at the Swinney Camp last summer, and according to Henley, Spiller was even more impressed by Henley’s camp performance this summer.

“Coach Spiller really loved everything I did,” Henley said. “He said it was more impressive this year than last year. I’m bigger, faster, stronger – I think that’s really what stood out to him. Obviously, I had a strong performance last year, but I went in with high expectations for myself, and I think I exceeded those. So, I think that he was extremely impressed. He really liked everything he saw. The other running backs on the team as well, they really liked everything they saw, from Will (Shipley) to Kobe (Pace) and Phil (Mafah) to Kevin (McNeal) and all those guys. So, I got to talk with them a little bit, and that was great to build a relationship with some of those guys, and I just loved getting to talk with them and have their help throughout the camp. It was great.”

As a sophomore last season, Henley rushed for more than 800 yards while averaging 8.1 yards per carry, and he racked up 900-plus all-purpose yards.

He tries to model his game after a fellow Charlotte-area native in Clemson rising sophomore running back Will Shipley – a product of Weddington (N.C.) High School who finished as the Tigers’ leading rusher as a true freshman last season (738 yards, 11 rushing touchdowns).

Henley and Shipley have gotten to know each other, have a good relationship and have worked out together on several occasions, and the Swinney Camp allowed the two to catch up last month.

“He was really happy for me that I did well at the camp,” Henley said of Shipley. “There’s kind of a mutual respect there between the two of us. But he really liked everything I did. Just told me to keep in contact with him so we can continue our relationship. He said he was going to let me know the next time he comes back home so we can work together again. But outside of that, we kind of talked about life and everything, just talked about other sports that I played and everything. Just kind of chopping it up with him, which was good to do because I haven’t talked with him in a little bit.”

Henley is definitely planning to return to Clemson for a game this fall and might even make it back to campus again this month, while Spiller expressed his intent to see Henley play in person this season.

“Oh for sure, I’ll be back during the season,” he said. “I already talked with Coach Spiller about that. He’s going to get me back down there sometime this fall. He said he was going to come check out one of my games just to see what I’m like in person, because obviously that’s a big part of the whole thing is seeing how you play in person. And then he wanted me back down there for a barbeque (Clemson’s annual All In Cookout). He said that was sometime in July, but he wasn’t exactly sure. So, my coach has been talking to him to figure out when that’ll be. But I’m definitely excited to get back down there again. I’ll for sure make my way down there for a game. I love the gameday environment at Clemson.”

Henley, who also visited Clemson for the Florida State game last October, said his latest trip to campus “definitely strengthened my feelings I had about Clemson.”

“It kind of reassured me of what I had from last year, and the gameday visit that I had against Florida State kind of validated all those feelings that I had,” he said. “It showed me that those coaches, they really do care about you and that the culture was not just a one-time thing at that camp. It’s a consistent thing, and I really liked that. Their message stayed true from last summer to fall to this summer, and I think that’s really meaningful to me to see that message be consistent.”

Along with Clemson, schools such as South Carolina, Duke, Virginia, Syracuse and UConn have shown interest in Henley, who also camped at South Carolina, Virginia, Duke, Wake Forest, Appalachian State and UNC Charlotte this summer.

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Talented N.C. RB drawing Clemson interest, would love to follow in Shipley’s footsteps

This talented running back from the Tar Heel State has put himself on the recruiting radar of Clemson and running backs coach C.J. Spiller. Charlotte (N.C.) Christian School’s Ryan Henley – a 5-foot-10, 184-pound rising junior in the class of 2024 – …

This talented running back from the Tar Heel State has put himself on the recruiting radar of Clemson and running backs coach C.J. Spiller.

Charlotte (N.C.) Christian School’s Ryan Henley – a 5-foot-10, 184-pound rising junior in the class of 2024 – is garnering quite a bit of early interest from Spiller and the Tigers.

“Clemson is one of the top ones (schools showing interest) right now,” Henley told The Clemson Insider. “They’ve been showing the most interest in me right now.”

Henley caught Spiller’s eye when he competed at the Dabo Swinney Football Camp last summer.

“I went to a camp last year after freshman year, and Coach Spiller just really liked what he saw,” Henley said. “He ended up taking me and my mom on a tour of the whole facility, just the three of us after. He really liked what I was doing out there, like my versatility and my ability to make things happen in the receiving game. I think that’s really what made me stand out from some of the other running backs there, was just the versatility that I have and my ability to run the whole route tree.”

Spiller wants Henley to camp at Clemson again this summer, so he plans to do so June 2.

After traveling to Clemson for camp last summer, Henley returned to Tiger Town last fall when he made an unofficial visit to Death Valley for the Florida State game in late October.

Asked what stood out to him from that visit experience, Henley replied, “Really just the culture that Dabo has created.”

“Obviously, the faith component, that was huge for me,” he added. “I love seeing that, and just how he treated his players. I thought that was great, just their ‘why’ for every single thing that they do. It’s more about developing you as a person … there’s an actual relationship with you, and I thought that was really cool and that really stood out to me compared to some of the other schools that I’ve visited. They really want to develop you as a person.”

As a sophomore last season, Henley rushed for more than 800 yards while averaging 8.1 yards per carry, and he racked up 900-plus all-purpose yards.

He tries to model his game after a fellow Charlotte-area native in Clemson rising sophomore running back Will Shipley – a product of Weddington (N.C.) High School who finished as the Tigers’ leading rusher as a true freshman last season (738 yards, 11 rushing touchdowns).

“I really like that he’s an extremely physical runner, just doesn’t go down on first contact,” Henley said of Shipley. “That’s a big part of my game. I don’t like to go down on first contact. I know he’s talked about that several times, too. And then his versatility as well out of the pass game, his ability to run routes out of the slot or even in the backfield – I think those are two things that really stand out to me whenever I watch him. Those are really cool.”

Henley and Shipley have gotten to know each other. They have a good relationship and have worked out together on several occasions.

Henley has no shortage of respect for Shipley – not only for what he can do on the football field, but also his humility and how he handles himself as a person as well.

“Going into freshman year, I trained with Will. I’ve trained with him multiple times,” Henley said. “He’s been a great role model for me to try and model my game. He’s offered a lot of knowledge that’s just rare to come by. He’s extremely successful at what he does, a highly ranked guy. But I think he’s so humble with it all and he’s able to keep the main thing the main thing. I like seeing what he does, and the way that he treats my parents with respect. He’s such a high-level player, he doesn’t really have to do that, so my level of respect for him is extremely high.”

Henley hopes to earn an offer from Clemson in the future and have the chance to follow in Shipley’s footsteps as a running back for the Tigers.

“It’d be really exciting and just be a blessing to receive an offer from them,” he said. “I’m really hoping that’s where things will go this summer. But obviously I know that I’m going to have to show up to camp and bring my best and show that I’ve improved from last year so I can just make sure I stand out.

“But I’d love to be able to suit up for Clemson one day. Obviously, Clemson’s one of my top schools, and being able to follow behind someone like Will would be great, just having that relationship with him before he got there, knowing him and knowing the person he’s becoming as a result of Coach Spiller and Coach Swinney. I think that’s great, and it gives me something to look forward to if I were to go to Clemson.”

Congratulations! You did it! You graduated! Now is the time to preserve your diploma in a custom frame. Here at Clemson Variety & Frame, we build all our frames in-house – from the frame to the mats and etchings to the installation – to guarantee the quality. You worked hard for your degree. Trust us to show your diploma in the best light possible.

The Insider Report: Latest on OL targets, nation’s top-ranked athlete & more

It’s time for this week’s edition of The Insider Report. We hope everyone had a great weekend. Austin staying in touch with fast-rising Virginia OL The Clemson Insider recently caught up with Tuscarora (Leesburg, Va.) three-star offensive lineman …

It’s time for this week’s edition of The Insider Report.

We hope everyone had a great weekend.

Austin staying in touch with fast-rising Virginia OL

The Clemson Insider recently caught up with Tuscarora (Leesburg, Va.) three-star offensive lineman Fletcher Westphal, who has been keeping in touch with Clemson offensive line coach Thomas Austin since he visited in March.

“I’ve just been catching up since my last visit there to Clemson,” Westphal said. “Just been talking about how school is going, how spring ball’s going. I know he’s supposed to come for a spring practice sometime (this month). We’ve been talking a little bit.”

The fact that Clemson is stopping by his school during the evaluation period proves to Westphal that the Tigers are definitely interested in him going forward.

“I know Clemson — they pick who they want to offer — they don’t offer a lot of people,” he said. “I know that once you’re on their radar and that’s a good thing. I just hope that he can come out and see and build more of a relationship with him.”

Westphal’s recruitment has skyrocketed. He went from having seven offers to 16 in the span of just two months. He currently holds offers from schools like Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Miami, Michigan State, North Carolina, Old Dominion, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

“It would definitely be an honor,” Westphal said regarding a potential offer from Clemson. “My family does a lot of research on these colleges…you search up academics, what they’re ranked at as a public school, private school, what their reputation is? Our family wasn’t super big into college football before, so we didn’t know a lot of this stuff. Clemson, I mean, they’re definitely up there.”

Westphal (6-8, 320) currently ranks as the No. 14 offensive tackle and the nation’s No. 247 prospect in the 2023 class, per the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Update on a priority OL target

One of Clemson’s top offensive lineman targets in the class of 2023 dropped his top-10 schools on May 2 via social media.

Vandegrift High School (Austin, Texas) four-star Ian Reed is down to Clemson, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M.

Reed — a 6-foot-6, 305-pound junior — earned an offer from Clemson when he was on campus for the program’s Orange & White Spring Game on April 9.

“Clemson I just felt really comfortable with taking an (official visit),” Reed said. “I felt really comfortable when I first went there and seeing what Clemson has to offer when I first went there was pretty cool. I just want to go back there and (continue to) build a relationship with them.”

Reed set up an official visit for the weekend of June 3-5. He’s hoping that his next visit confirms how he feels about the school.

Since Clemson offered Reed, the Tigers have reinforced to him that he’s a priority in this recruiting class. He has since been in contact with Austin at least once a week, as they continue to build a strong relationship.

Sunshine State signal-caller drawing Clemson interest

Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville, Fla.) 2024 QB James Resar is drawing interest from Clemson. In fact, Clemson offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter stopped by his high school this past week.

“I went to camp last year and I hadn’t really heard anything else and then Coach Streeter watched me make a couple of throws at practice,” Resar said. “He said that I looked good.”

What does that mean to Resar?

“I feel like they’re showing interest,” he said. “I know they’d like to see a little bit more because they like to see their quarterbacks a lot before they offer interest.”

He currently has offers from Georgia Tech and Wake Forest, but a lot of schools currently showing interest in him want to see him throw before they pull the trigger on any offer.

Right now, Resar is unsure if he’ll be able to camp at Clemson again this summer. He, unfortunately, has finals when the Tigers host their camps on June 1 and 2. He’ll look into doing any of the camps from June 10-12, but nothing is set in stone.

Latest on the nation’s top-ranked athlete

TCI recently caught up with a five-star recruit ranked as the nation’s top athlete in the 2024 class and one of the top prospects in his class regardless of position.

Buford (Ga.) High School’s Khalil “KJ” Bolden spoke with TCI regarding the latest in his recruitment, where things stand with Clemson at this point in the process and more.

“Everything’s been going straight,” he said of the recruiting process. “I’m picking up offers constantly, daily. Me and my family have been talking. We just plan on narrowing things down junior year to like 12 or something like that, and then just keep going on from there.”

Bolden, the No. 1 athlete in the 2024 class per 247Sports, said he hears from Clemson co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Mickey Conn and receivers coach Tyler Grisham every now and then and added “those are my guys.”

According to Bolden, Conn and Grisham are telling the 6-foot-1, 182-pound rising junior that the Tigers want him, they think he can play for them, and they’re leaving it open for him as to whether he would play safety or receiver if he chose to go to Clemson.

Bolden expects to play a lot of receiver during his junior season, as Buford had an Alabama commitment – Isaiah Bond – who played mostly receiver last season and Bolden believes he has to step up and take over that spot. But after this season, Bolden said, he plans on trying to figure out which position he would prefer to play at the next level.

Bolden estimates he’s been to Clemson two or three times and said, “Clemson’s always been one of my favorite schools since I was little,” and that the Tigers would definitely be one of his top schools if they join his list of 30-plus offers.

“They’re all like family. They’re big on what they do,” Bolden said of his interest in Clemson. “They never change things up. Coach Dabo, he was nice. He gets after it. I like things like that, coaches like that, and it’s just more than football to them. They like to talk about life and other things beyond football, and schools like that, that’s really big to me.”

Bolden said his mother also “loves” Clemson. She’s from South Carolina, and Bolden said she really wants to get back to Clemson and that they’ll return this summer should he receive an offer.

Bolden said he’s looking to visit schools such as Texas A&M, LSU, Florida State, USC and Penn State moving forward. He named Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss and Ohio State as schools that as of now, he definitely anticipates making his top schools list when he releases it – along with Clemson, if it pulls the trigger on an offer.

In addition to being the No. 1 athlete in the 2024 class, Bolden ranks as the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2024 class regardless of position according to 247Sports. He is a five-star prospect per the 247Sports Composite.

Tar Heel State running back on Spiller’s radar, looks up to Shipley

This talented running back prospect in the 2024 class is receiving plenty of early interest from Clemson and running backs coach C.J. Spiller.

Charlotte Christian School (Charlotte, N.C.)’s Ryan Henley told TCI that Clemson is showing the most interest in him right now and that he caught Spiller’s eye at the Dabo Swinney Camp last summer.

“I went to a camp last year after freshman year, and Coach Spiller just really liked what he saw,” Henley said. “He ended up taking me and my mom on a tour of the whole facility, just the three of us after. He really liked what I was doing out there, like my versatility and my ability to make things happen in the receiving game. I think that’s really what made me stand out from some of the other running backs there, was just the versatility that I have and my ability to run the whole route tree.”

Henley (5-10, 184) also visited Clemson for the Florida State game last season, and Spiller wants him to camp at Clemson again this summer, so he plans to do so June 2.

Henley looks up to fellow Charlotte-area native and Clemson rising sophomore running back Will Shipley and has trained with Shipley several times.

“Going into freshman year, I trained with Will,” Henley said. “I’ve trained with him multiple times. He’s been a great role model for me to try and model my game. He’s offered a lot of knowledge that’s just rare to come by. He’s extremely successful at what he does, highly ranked guy. But I think he’s so humble with it all and he’s able to keep the main thing the main thing. I like seeing what he does, and the way that he treats my parents with respect. He’s such a high-level player, he doesn’t really have to do that, so my level of respect for him is extremely high.”

Henley hopes to stand out at the Swinney Camp again this summer and said he’d “love to be able to suit up for Clemson one day” and have the chance to follow in Shipley’s footsteps as a running back for the Tigers.

Congratulations! You did it! You graduated! Now is the time to preserve your diploma in a custom frame. Here at Clemson Variety & Frame, we build all our frames in-house – from the frame to the mats and etchings to the installation – to guarantee the quality. You worked hard for your degree. Trust us to show your diploma in the best light possible.