Tag: spring elite day

Junior day visit gives priority OL target ‘a new perspective’ about Clemson

The Clemson Insider caught up with one of Clemson’s priority offensive line targets who was back in Tiger Town this past weekend. After visiting Death Valley for the Boston College and Wake Forest games last fall, Belmont (N.C.) South Point …

The Clemson Insider caught up with one of Clemson’s priority offensive line targets who was back in Tiger Town this past weekend.

After visiting Death Valley for the Boston College and Wake Forest games last fall, Belmont (N.C.) South Point four-star offensive tackle Sullivan Absher returned to campus for the Tigers’ second junior day of the year – their “spring elite day” – last Saturday.

“It was a great visit!” Absher told TCI. “It really gave me a new perspective about the Clemson football program. The game-day visits are great, but this time I really got the ‘day in the life’ viewpoint, from going to practice and meetings and classes.”

One part of the junior day experience stood out to Absher in particular – hearing a speech from Clemson head man Dabo Swinney.

“The highlight was probably Coach Swinney’s talk at the end of the day about what Clemson football is built on,” he said.

Belmont (N.C.) South Point 2023 4-star OT Sullivan Absher pictured Saturday, November 20, 2021 at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium. Bart Boatwright/The Clemson Insider

Absher is one of the first offensive linemen that Thomas Austin offered after taking over for Robbie Caldwell as Clemson’s O-line coach earlier this year. The 6-foot-7, 300-pound prospect in the class of 2023 picked up the offer in February – an offer that he told TCI he “had been working for, for a very long time.”

While on campus for Saturday’s visit, Absher spent most of the day with Austin.

“To be honest, there was no real message,” Absher said of what he heard from Austin. “It was just us conversating like he was already my coach.”

Absher said his bond with Austin “100 percent” grew stronger on Saturday.

“We already had a good relationship, and spending time together (Saturday) only made it better,” he added.

Looking ahead, the lone visit Absher has locked in on his schedule right now is a trip to Notre Dame on April 23, though he will more than likely return to Clemson for its spring game April 9.

Absher gave a timeline for when he’s looking to narrow down his recruitment and make his college decision, saying, “Maybe by June or so (release) a top-four list, and then commit sometime in August or so.”

Along with Clemson, Absher’s offer list includes Notre Dame, North Carolina, NC State, Duke, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Tennessee, Kentucky, Penn State, Michigan State, Stanford and others.

Where do the Tigers stand with Absher following Saturday’s visit?

“No matter if I put out a top three, four or five,” he said, “Clemson’s on it.”

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Tigers offer 4-star Texas tight end

A four-star tight end from the Lone Star State picked up an offer from Clemson on Saturday while on campus for the Tigers’ junior day. Bridgeland High School (Cypress, Texas)’s Reid Mikeska announced the offer from the Tigers via Twitter on Saturday …

A four-star tight end from the Lone Star State picked up an offer from Clemson on Saturday while on campus for the Tigers’ junior day.

Bridgeland High School (Cypress, Texas)’s Reid Mikeska announced the offer from the Tigers via Twitter on Saturday night.

Mikeska, who was born in the Carolinas, has a cousin that goes to Clemson and all his family lives in the area. He told The Clemson Insider earlier this year that an offer from the Tigers would “mean everything” to him.

“Ever since I was a kid, I loved Clemson,” he said. “It would mean a lot. It would be huge for me.”

How would Mikeska describe himself as a player to someone who’s never seen him play before?

“I would definitely describe myself as a big, physical, athletic tight end, who can play it all,” he said. “I play in the slot, I play H-back and I play hand in the dirt. I can just do anything that an offense would need me to do.”

According to Mikeska, Clemson tight ends coach Kyle Richardson loves his size, how he moves and his blocking.

“He’s a fan of how I can do it all,” Mikeska added.

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4-star edge rusher with Clemson connection receives offer from Tigers

Clemson extended an offer Saturday to a four-star edge rusher who was on campus for the Tigers’ junior day. St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) defensive end David Ojiegbe announced the offer from the Tigers via Twitter on Saturday night. Ojiegbe (6-4, …

Clemson extended an offer Saturday to a four-star edge rusher who was on campus for the Tigers’ junior day.

St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) defensive end David Ojiegbe announced the offer from the Tigers via Twitter on Saturday night.

Ojiegbe (6-4, 245) is ranked as high as the No. 18 edge defender and No. 162 overall prospect in the 2023 class by 247Sports.

Ojiegbe is a former teammate of Clemson redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Tre Williams, with whom he has a close relationship and talked about Clemson with prior to Saturday’s junior day visit.

“He was talking about how good it is, the culture and how he likes it,” Ojiegbe told The Clemson Insider last month. “He said it’s very good down there and you’re gonna be pushed. So, it sounds pretty good to me. I’m just definitely waiting to see when I get down there. I like what he was telling me, though.”

In his conversations with Lemanski Hall, Clemson’s defensive ends coach has compared Ojiegbe to a current Tiger pass rusher in Xavier Thomas.

“I definitely like the way that he plays,” Ojiegbe said. “He’s very aggressive, very physical and very nasty. I like his get off the ball, he’s a big guy, but he’s moving. I look at him like, ‘He can go.’”

Ojiegbe saw his recruitment pick up during January, as he added offers from Kansas, Morgan State, Duke, UConn, Georgia Tech, NC State, Toledo, Marshall, North Carolina and was re-offered by the new staff at Miami.

This past season, Ojiegbe helped St. John’s capture a championship, while leading them to an 11-0 record. He led the WCAC with 17.5 sacks and was named first-team All-Met. He didn’t get to break the sack record his junior year, but he’s looking to surpass the league record of 19.5 sacks in his senior campaign.

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Another junior day visitor adds Clemson offer

Clemson extended an offer Saturday to a four-star linebacker who was on campus for the Tigers’ junior day. Fairfax (Va.) High School’s Tony Rojas announced the offer from the Tigers via Twitter on Saturday night. Rojas (6-3, 200) is ranked as the …

Clemson extended an offer Saturday to a four-star linebacker who was on campus for the Tigers’ junior day.

Fairfax (Va.) High School’s Tony Rojas announced the offer from the Tigers via Twitter on Saturday night.

Rojas (6-3, 200) is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the state of Virginia, No. 12 outside linebacker and No. 210 overall prospect in the 2023 class by Rivals.

Rojas played defensive end during his junior season at Fairfax, but plans on moving to linebacker for his final season of high school football.

For his efforts this past season, Rojas was named first-team All-Region at running back and defensive end and was also named second-team All-State at the aforementioned positions.

Potentially playing linebacker at Clemson, considering the program’s history at the position, certainly resonates with Rojas and is an intriguing option for him going forward.

“Just seeing how Clemson players have gone on to play linebacker in the NFL after playing linebacker at Clemson is interesting,” he told The Clemson Insider in January.

Rojas also has offers from North Carolina, Penn State, Boston College, Liberty, ECU, Virginia, Duke, Kentucky, Maryland, Miami, NC State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin and others.

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4-star defensive ends pick up Clemson offers on visit

Multiple defensive linemen in the 2023 class picked up Clemson offers on Saturday while on campus for the Tigers’ “spring elite day”, their second junior day of the year. Four-star defensive ends Hunter Osborne, TJ Searcy and AJ Hoffler all …

Multiple defensive linemen in the 2023 class picked up Clemson offers on Saturday while on campus for the Tigers’ “spring elite day”, their second junior day of the year.

Four-star defensive ends Hunter Osborne, TJ Searcy and AJ Hoffler all announced offers from the Tigers.

Osborne (6-4, 260), from Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville, Ala.), is ranked as the No. 13 defensive lineman and No. 113 overall prospect in the 2023 class by 247Sports.

Searcy (6-5, 250), from Upson-Lee (Thomaston, Ga.), is ranked as the No. 28 defensive lineman and No. 176 overall prospect in the 2023 class by 247Sports, while Hoffler (6-5, 240), from Woodward Academy (Atlanta, Ga.), is ranked as the No. 31 defensive lineman and No. 199 overall prospect in the 2023 class by 247Sports.

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Top talent flocking to Tiger Town for Clemson’s ‘spring elite day’

Clemson is set to host a slew of top prospects today for its second junior day of the year, which the Tigers are dubbing their “spring elite day” for recruits in the class of 2023. Among the headliners expected to be in attendance is Central (Phenix …

Clemson is set to host a slew of top prospects today for its second junior day of the year, which the Tigers are dubbing their “spring elite day” for recruits in the class of 2023.

Among the headliners expected to be in attendance is Central (Phenix City, Ala.) five-star A.J. Harris, the nation’s No. 2 cornerback and No. 17 overall prospect in the 2023 class, per the 247Sports Composite rankings. The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder has made multiple trips to Tiger Town and is a priority target for the Tigers. Last September, he released a top seven comprised of Clemson, Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Georgia and Ohio State.

Harris will be joined on campus by a host of other talented defensive backs, including Harris’ teammate at Central, cornerback Quintavious Billingsley; Lake Mary (Fla.) four-star cornerback Braedan Marshall; Eagles Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, Ga.) three-star cornerback Colton Hood; Daniel (Central, S.C.) cornerback Misun Kelley; North Oconee (Bogart, Ga.) cornerback Khalil Barnes; Loachapoka (Auburn, Ala.) cornerback Jacorious Hart; Milton (Alpharetta, Ga.) three-star safety Robert Billings; and A.C. Reynolds (Asheville, N.C.) safety Dashawn Stone.

Another headliner slated to be on hand for the spring elite day is Oceanside Collegiate Academy (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) four-star offensive lineman Monroe Freeling.

It will mark his first visit to Clemson since attending the Florida State game in late October of last year. He was also on campus last June to participate in the Dabo Swinney Camp, after which he picked up an offer from the Tigers.

Freeling said during a recent interview with The Clemson Insider that the Tigers “stand highly” in his recruitment heading into today’s visit.

“I really loved the culture there when I first went up and I’ve been maintaining a good relationship with (offensive line) coach (Thomas) Austin,” he said, “and I’m just looking forward to growing it some more when I get out there.”

Along with Clemson, which is heavily pursuing Freeling, he named Miami and Notre Dame as a couple of schools that have been recruiting him the hardest.

According to the 247Sports Composite, Freeling is the No. 1 prospect in South Carolina, No. 9 offensive tackle nationally and No. 82 overall prospect for the 2023 class.

South Point (Belmont, N.C.) four-star offensive lineman Sullivan Absher will also return to Clemson after picking up an offer from the Tigers in February – an offer that he told TCI he “had been working for, for a very long time.”  He previously traveled to Clemson twice during this past season – first for the Boston College game in October and then for the Wake Forest game in November.

Another big-time offensive lineman will be on campus today as well in Eagles Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, Ga.) four-star tackle Zechariah Owens.

As for the defensive linemen expected to be among the junior day visitors, there are several prominent prospects, namely St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) four-star David Ojiegbe, Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville, Ala.) four-star Hunter Osborne, Rome (Ga.) four-star Stephiylan Green, Upson-Lee (Thomaston, Ga.) four-star T.J. Searcy and Woodward Academy (Atlanta, Ga.) four-star A.J. Hoffler.

A bunch of other standout class of 2023 prospects are on the expected guest list for the spring elite day, as well, including Hickory Ridge (Harrisburg, N.C.) four-star wide receiver Christian Hamilton; Bridgeland (Cypress, Texas) four-star tight end Reid Mikeska; Denmark (Alpharetta, Ga.) four-star linebacker Dee Crayton; Fairfax (Va.) four-star linebacker Tony Rojas; F.W. Buchholz (Gainesville, Fla.) three-star wide receiver Creed Whittemore; Maiden (N.C.) High School three-star wide receiver Chris Culliver; Phoebus (Hampton, Va.) three-star athlete Jordan Bass; Sumter (S.C.) athlete Zyeir Gamble; and Dutch Fork (Irmo, S.C.) running back Jarvis Green.

A few notable 2024 prospects are planning to visit Clemson today, too, in Carrollwood Day (Tampa, Fla.) four-star defensive back Tavoy Feagin, Weddington (Matthews, N.C.) tight end Brooks Mauk and Towers (Decatur, Ga.) wide receiver/cornerback Keshawn Weathers.

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