Tag: Tajh Boyd

Tar Heel State TE recaps ‘amazing’ gameday visit to Clemson

A talented tight end from the Tar Heel State traveled to Tiger Town for an unofficial visit earlier this month. Weddington High School (Matthews, N.C.) junior Brooks Mauk – a 6-foot-4, 215-pound prospect in the class of 2024 – made his way to …

A talented tight end from the Tar Heel State traveled to Tiger Town for an unofficial visit earlier this month.

Weddington High School (Matthews, N.C.) junior Brooks Mauk – a 6-foot-4, 215-pound prospect in the class of 2024 – made his way to Clemson for the Furman game on Saturday, Sept. 10.

“The Clemson visit was amazing,” he told The Clemson Insider.

Mauk had been to games at Death Valley before, though it was back when he was much younger, so this marked his first gameday visit to Clemson as a recruit – and he came away very impressed by the environment.

“The atmosphere was crazy!” he said. “Everyone in the football complex was so nice and welcoming. The energy really picked up when the Tiger Walk started. It was cool to watch them walk into the stadium with the fans getting louder and louder.”

The highlight of the visit for Mauk, he said, was spending time with tight ends coach Kyle Richardson and offensive player development coach Tajh Boyd.

Mauk appreciates how Richardson made time to engage in conversation with him, his dad and his brother before the game.

Weddington High School (Matthews, N.C.) 2024 tight end Brooks Mauk (right) with Clemson tight ends coach Kyle Richardson during Mauk’s visit to Clemson Saturday, Sept. 10 (photo courtesy of Mauk on Twitter (@brooks_mauk)

“We were able to spend some good time with Coach Richardson at lunch,” Mauk said. “He went out of his way to spend time with us and that meant a lot. He talked about all of the players in the TE room. Different styles and strengths.”

During the game, Mauk enjoyed watching another Weddington High School product – Clemson sophomore running back Will Shipley – run for a couple of scores in the Tigers’ 35-12 win over the Paladins.

“Loved seeing Will scoring those touchdowns!” he said. “Before I met him, I had heard how hard of a worker he was. He lives and breathes football and it’s really exciting to see him reap the rewards of all of that hard work. There is a lesson for the rest of us in that. He is such a great guy, and he has a huge fan base cheering for him back home!”

Overall, Mauk said the visit gave him a better feel for where he stands with the Tigers in the recruiting process at this point.

“Coach Richardson walked through his plan for the next few years and what he looks for in his tight ends,” Mauk explained. “He likes for them to be physical and that’s kind of my style. He respects the way Coach Capone (Weddington head coach Andy Capone) develops his players physically, mentally and fundamentally for the next level.”

Mauk also made an unofficial visit to Clemson in early March to tour the facilities and take in one of the football team’s spring practices, before returning to campus for the Dabo Swinney Camp in June.

After the Clemson-Furman game visit, Mauk went to Coastal Carolina for its game against Buffalo the following weekend.

–Photos courtesy of Brooks Mauk on Twitter (@brooks_mauk)

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Local product turned Peach State QB has another ‘good experience’ at Clemson

Clemson played host last weekend to a promising quarterback prospect – a local product who now plays in the Peach State. Gavin Owens, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound sophomore in the class of 2025, made his way to Death Valley for the Tigers’ 48-20 win over …

Clemson played host last weekend to a promising quarterback prospect – a local product who now plays in the Peach State.

Gavin Owens, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound sophomore in the class of 2025, made his way to Death Valley for the Tigers’ 48-20 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday night.

“It’s pretty electric with the new lights and the new jumbotron,” he said to The Clemson Insider regarding the night game atmosphere.

Owens played his freshman season last year at Wren High School (Piedmont, S.C.) but has since transferred to Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (Rabun Gap, Ga.). In leading his team to a 4-1 record through five games this season, he has completed 66 percent of his passes for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns with no interceptions, according to MaxPreps.

Owens, who has been participating in the Dabo Swinney Camp since he was about 10 years old, has traveled to Tiger Town numerous times and once again enjoyed his latest trip to campus.

On Saturday, he was able to catch up with offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter, as well as offensive player development coach Tajh Boyd.

“I always go back there and I love it,” Owens said. “It’s just great to go back and see everybody, talk to coaches and talk to Streeter again. Stayed after the game, just building on our relationship. I talked with Tajh Boyd, too, seeing him. Every time I go, it’s always a good experience.”

What did Owens hear from the coaches?

“They just asked how my season was going,” he said, “and I said I’d let them know how I was doing, and they just told me to keep up the good work.”

Owens also had the chance to speak with DJ Uiagalelei and liked what he saw from Clemson’s junior quarterback, who completed 17 of 29 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns in the victory over La. Tech, while rushing for 62 yards on nine carries.

“He’s actually doing pretty good, him moving around, using his legs more now, delivering the ball,” Owens said. “He looks pretty good. I talked to him after, too.”

“He seems like a great person,” Owens added. “He seems like a great leader.”

Owens cited being around the coaches, taking in the environment again, attending the game and going into the locker room after the game as the best parts of his visit.

“Even staying after the game and going into the locker room, seeing the players and see how they interact with each other and how the coaches interact with the players,” he said. “I think that was the highlight, just seeing the players.”

Owens owns a half-dozen offers already, including an SEC offer from Kentucky and ACC offers from Louisville and Virginia Tech.

It’s still early in Owens’ recruitment, but did Saturday’s visit give him a better idea of where he stands with the Tigers in the recruiting process right now?

“It does,” he said. “Being around them and them showing love like they always do, just building our relationship stronger.”

Owens went to South Carolina for its season opener against Georgia State on Sept. 3 and plans to return to Clemson this season, as well as visit schools like Georgia and Louisville.

As a freshman last season, Owens passed for 2,262 yards and 19 touchdowns.

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‘Versatile’ Peach State receiver details ‘unbelievable’ visit to Clemson

Clemson played host this past weekend to a junior Peach State wide receiver who’s on the Tigers’ recruiting radar. Johns Creek (Ga.) High School’s Kyle Vaka, a class of 2024 prospect, made an unofficial visit to Death Valley for the Louisiana Tech …

Clemson played host this past weekend to a junior Peach State wide receiver who’s on the Tigers’ recruiting radar.

Johns Creek (Ga.) High School’s Kyle Vaka, a class of 2024 prospect, made an unofficial visit to Death Valley for the Louisiana Tech game on Saturday night.

“The visit to Clemson was unbelievable,” he told The Clemson Insider. “The atmosphere was unbelievable. I knew going in I was excited about the LED lights and the new scoreboard and just seeing it at a night game, and I was not disappointed. The crowd was incredible. The lights, the scoreboard, the entrance – everything was electric and a really incredible and a great experience.”

One part of the experience that Vaka especially enjoyed was standing on the sideline during pregame warmups and seeing Clemson’s receivers run routes prior to the Tigers’ eventual 48-20 victory over the Bulldogs.

“I love watching the warmups on the sideline and seeing especially the wide receiver room and those guys run routes,” he said. “It kind of gives me an idea of how much harder I need to work and where I need to be, where I need to get to. It’s really motivating, and I love watching those guys and learning from them.”

While on campus, Vaka had the chance to spend time with offensive player development coach Tajh Boyd, as well as socialize with receivers coach Tyler Grisham over a meal.

“Coach Grisham, he ate dinner with my dad and I, and we had some great conversations about not only football but what’s important in life – relationships, God, values and just building your life around that,” Vaka said. “So, Coach Grisham’s a really good coach. He’s a really good dude as well, and you can see that through the conversations he has with the recruits, with the players – not even just talking about football but about life and what’s important in life.”

Vaka added that he feels his relationship with Grisham “definitely” grew stronger during Saturday’s visit.

“Got to spend some quality time with him at dinner, and that was really enjoyable,” he said. “I’m going to continue to grow that relationship, and just excited.”

Vaka has traveled to Tiger Town a bunch of times. He made his way to campus for a couple of games last season, went to this year’s spring game in April and participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp this summer for the second year in a row – not to mention a couple of other trips he has made to visit his sister, who actually attends Clemson.

Did Vaka’s latest visit give him a better feel for where he stands with the Tigers at this point in the recruiting process?

“Definitely,” he said. “I still have the same goals in mind that I set out before my junior year. I’ve got to put on a great junior year on tape. I’ve got to perform this year. I’m going to get back up to camp next summer. I’m going to visit again definitely this year and definitely in the spring. So, I’m just going to keep the process going, keep the relationship going, and I’m excited.”

Speaking of Vaka’s junior campaign, he’s said “it’s going great” for him personally so far. Through four games, he has recorded 13 receptions for 275 yards and two touchdowns.

Vaka sees himself as a versatile receiver who can line up anywhere on the field, whether it be in the slot or on the outside.

“I think I run really good routes, and I catch the ball really well,” he said. “So, I feel like you can put me anywhere and I can succeed, do whatever you need me to do – blocking, whatever it is. So, just anywhere – slot, outside – I feel like I’m versatile.”

Prior to Saturday’s Clemson visit, Vaka went to Vanderbilt a week earlier for its game vs. Wake Forest.

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Georgia TE, teammate of Clemson commit talks first visit to Death Valley

A fast-rising tight end prospect from the Peach State, with a tie to Clemson, returned to Tiger Town for the Furman game this past weekend. Milton (Ga.) High School’s Ryan Ghea – a class of 2025 prospect closing in on double digit offers – was back …

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

Milton (Ga.) High School’s Ryan Ghea – a class of 2025 prospect closing in on double digit offers – was back on campus last Saturday after competing at the Dabo Swinney Camp in June.

“I really enjoyed it,” Ghea said of Saturday’s visit. “I had a very good time enjoying everything and just taking it all in.”

It marked the 6-foot-5, 220-pound sophomore’s first game-day visit to Death Valley.

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

Ghea liked what he saw from the Tigers’ tight ends in the 35-12 win over the Paladins, during which Davis Allen hauled in a 23-yard reception and Jake Briningstool brought in a 2-yard touchdown catch.

“It was crazy. The tight end room played really well,” Ghea said. “There was a tight end touchdown. Coach (Kyle) Richardson walked me through all the tight ends, what their game plan was for the day and what they needed to improve on. So, it was cool watching them put it all together on the field.”

Speaking of the aforementioned Richardson, Ghea got plenty of face time with Clemson’s first-year tight ends coach on Saturday, and he was also shown around by offensive player development coach Tajh Boyd.

“It was really good,” Ghea said. “I spent time with (Richardson’s) family in his office and walked around with Tajh the whole time. It was a very fun experience getting to further our relationship and just growing it between the next two, three years.”

Richardson would like to see Ghea camp at Clemson again next summer and explained to him how the Tigers go about their business in recruiting.

“He told me to come back to camp, and they’re not really a school that offers early,” Ghea said. “They’re longer in the recruiting process to make sure they get the right guys and the people that they want around their program. So, he just told me to come down to camp, he just wants me to keep sending my film to him and just keep growing our relationship.”

As for Richardson’s interest in Ghea, there’s a lot he likes about the all-around tight end prospect who is capable of impacting the game as both a pass catcher and a run blocker.

“He said he likes my size and my ability to catch the ball with my hands and just making plays all around the field,” Ghea said of what he heard from Richardson. “But he also likes that I can block in and outside of the box and just being physical between any type of player, whether that is a D-lineman, a linebacker or a safety, DB.”

Richardson invited Ghea back to Clemson for the Miami game in November, and he’s going to see if he can return for that.

Ghea has a Clemson connection in his Milton teammate, four-star Tiger safety commit Robert Billings, who is planning to be at that game on Nov. 19.

The two have built a good bond.

“This is my second year on varsity, so we really started growing it last year between competing the whole practices during the year,” Ghea said of Billings, a senior in the 2023 class. “But 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 has seen his recruitment take off since the spring.

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.

Ghea explained the biggest things that will be important to him when he eventually makes his college decision.

“It’s definitely for me, the education piece of it and how any school treats my family and how I get along with them and their coaching staff,” he said.

–Photo courtesy of Ryan Ghea on Twitter (@RyanGhea2025)

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Herbstreit talks Uiagalelei, discusses ‘a legitimate concern’ with Clemson

During ESPN’s College GameDay show this past weekend, Kirk Herbstreit weighed in on Clemson heading into the 2022 season. The ESPN college football analyst talked about the coordinator changes on Dabo Swinney’s staff, with Swinney promoting Brandon …

During ESPN’s College GameDay show this past weekend, Kirk Herbstreit weighed in on Clemson heading into the 2022 season.

The ESPN college football analyst talked about the coordinator changes on Dabo Swinney’s staff, with Swinney promoting Brandon Streeter and Wes Goodwin to the offensive and defensive coordinator roles that were vacated by the departures of Tony Elliott and Brent Venables, respectively.

“They got a little bit of a dress rehearsal in that bowl game, the Cheez-It Bowl against Iowa State. I think that’s a legitimate concern until you see it,” Herbstreit said.

“I think Dabo’s beyond confident in what they can do on both sides of the ball, and they have history. Remember when Chad Morris was there and he left to become a head coach, Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott emerged together to become co-offensive coordinators. Jeff Scott eventually went on, Tony Elliott was there by himself. Now Brandon Streeter, who’s been underneath as just a quarterback coach all this time, has had a chance to learn from all of them. So, he’s in position, and they’ve done the right things to give him his opportunity to become the guy.”

Herbstreit also discussed DJ Uiagalelei, who began preseason camp roughly 30 pounds lighter than the 260 pounds he played at a season ago.

Herbstreit says that while it’s great that Uiagalelei dropped weight, the junior quarterback must be willing to use his legs in the run game to help open up the Tigers’ offense.

“I think everybody’s said it, and until we see it, it’s reality. It’s one thing for DJ Uiagalelei to lose the weight. For me, it’s a willingness to run the ball,” Herbstreit said.

“Because whether it’s Trevor Lawrence or Deshaun Watson, especially Tajh Boyd, in that offense, the quarterback has to be a run threat, and last year, I saw a hesitant quarterback instead of being decisive in either getting the ball out and throwing or running and taking off. So, it’s great that he lost weight, but where is his mind, and is he ready to be more aggressive in running the ball, which will open up those throwing lanes to those talented receivers.”

–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images 

Visit to Clemson this fall ‘a must’ for promising QB prospect

A promising young quarterback prospect – a local product who now plays in the Peach State – plans to get back to Clemson for a game this season. Gavin Owens, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound rising sophomore in the class of 2025, is eyeing a visit to Death …

A promising young quarterback prospect — a local product who now plays in the Peach State — plans to get back to Clemson for a game this season.

Gavin Owens, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound rising sophomore in the class of 2025, is eyeing a visit to Death Valley this fall and also looking at trips to a few other ACC/SEC schools.

“Clemson is a must,” Owens said to The Clemson Insider recently regarding his visit plans for the fall. “I’ll probably go by Georgia again and then if I can, I’ll go back down to Florida State, and I’m trying to swing by Alabama one good time.”

Owens, who played his freshman season at Wren High School (Piedmont, S.C.) but has since transferred to Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (Rabun Gap, Ga.), previously traveled to Clemson for the Dabo Swinney Camp in June and also went to Georgia, Florida State, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Alabama, Kentucky and Louisville this summer.

When he makes it back to Clemson, Owens said he simply wants to build “more friendship and relationship with the coaches.”

“I’ve already got some good friendship with them now,” he added. “I know them pretty well. I’ll just get back down there and see the campus and adapt to it more than I am right now.”

As far as Clemson’s staff, Owens has the best relationships with offensive player development coach Tajh Boyd and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter.

“They’re pretty strong,” Owens said of his bond with those two coaches. “There’s always room to get more tight and know each other better. But if you ask me, they’re pretty tight.”

Owens owns a half-dozen offers already, including an SEC offer from Kentucky and ACC offers from Louisville and Virginia Tech.

As for where he’s at early in the recruiting process, Owens said, “I’m just taking it slow right now.”

“I’m just trying to kind of get around every campus I’ve been right now, and I’ve got my eyes open and just seeing what’s out there right now,” he said. “But Clemson is one of them in the top for me right now.”

Having previously played high school ball in the Palmetto State at Wren, the opportunity to play right down the road from there at a place like Death Valley in the future would be something special for Owens, should he receive an offer from Clemson moving forward.

“It would be great,” he said of playing in the Valley. “The fans are really into the game, and all the emotion and loudness, everything they give off is heartwarming and just exciting to play in. A stadium like that is just great.”

Owens estimates that he has been participating in the Swinney Camp since he was about 10 years old. Prior to camping at Clemson this summer, he made a recruiting visit to campus for the Florida State game last October.

As a freshman last season, Owens passed for 2,262 yards and 19 touchdowns while also rushing for 125 yards and four more scores on the ground.

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Rising Palmetto State athlete on Clemson’s radar after ‘successful’ Swinney Camp performance

Clemson was Marshall Pritchett’s first stop of the summer. The Class of 2025 athlete out of Georgia’s Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School didn’t know what to expect at the June 2 session of Dabo Swinney Camp. He had been playing quarterback at his …

Clemson was Marshall Pritchett’s first stop of the summer.

The Class of 2025 athlete out of Georgia’s Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School didn’t know what to expect at the June 2 session of Dabo Swinney Camp. He had been playing quarterback at his Charleston-based high school and hadn’t run routes in a few months.

“I had a little bit of interest from Clemson, but that kind of through Tony Elliott,” Pritchett told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview earlier this month. “I kind of went into (camp) like it was a clean slate like I had something to prove.”

Once Pritchett began doing individual drills with the tight ends, he said he was placed in the “B” group. It wasn’t long before he moved up the ladder again.

“We started running routes — stuff on air,” he said. “They really liked how I got out of my breaks and Coach (Kyle) Richardson moved me up to the top group. Because of the weather that day at Clemson, a lot of kids were cramping in our cramp. A lot of kids were going and getting water a lot; some of them couldn’t handle the heat. Being from Charleston, I could definitely handle the heat.

“When I got moved to the top group, there were probably 9-10 tight ends in the group, but when I first got moved up, there were only 2-3 still running routes. Like I said, many kids couldn’t handle the heat. So, I got a lot of really good reps.”

Pritchett didn’t know what to expect when he first moved up to the top group, but he started winning just about every rep. He started to have great confidence. Sometimes he’d win a rep, but he’d need a little bit of fixing from Richardson, who Pritchett said helped him a lot, as well as Tajh Boyd and some of Clemson’s current players.

“Having that feedback from the coaches helps a lot,” Pritchett said. “I would say out of all the camps I went to, how active the players were at the Clemson camp was amazing and they were super great. I was able to connect with them. It really made the competition that much better. I made one play on the sideline where I jumped up and caught it and I heard (sophomore running back) Will Shipley yell, ‘Let’s Go!’ Just to hear stuff like that from top-tier college football players is great. That type of energy is what made that camp so great, so special and I really enjoyed my time at Clemson.”

Pritchett gained a lot of confidence and a lot of coaching during his time at last month’s Swinney Camp. Richardson taught Pritchett a little cone drill that he’s implemented into his workout regimen and he’s been doing that drill just about every day for a month and a half.

“I took a lot of stuff from that camp and I used it throughout the summer to help me at other camps,” he said. “I’m gonna use some of that stuff this season. I’ll probably use some of that stuff for the rest of my life. Just little tweaks to my game that I didn’t know. Stuff I was messing up like getting out of breaks or throwing head fakes at the top of my routes. Just little things like that, that I could never diagnose myself that college coaches were able to see, which was really great.”

What type of feedback did Pritchett receive from Richardson?

“After the camp, he really liked what he saw,” Pritchett said of Clemson’s tight ends coach/passing game coordinator. “I went to shake his hand and he said, ‘You’re on my radar now. We can’t officially talk until Sept. 1 (that was before Pritchett announced he would be reclassifying to the class of 2025). You’re on our radar now because of how you played (June 2) and you should be proud of that.’”

Pritchett spoke highly of Richardson and felt like there was an immediate connection there. With that, he’s hopeful that they can continue to build a relationship, which may take some time now that Pritchett’s a rising sophomore again.

He imagines that Clemson will play a role in his recruitment going forward. Pritchett feels like the way he played at camp, it’s gonna be up to him and how he performs the next couple of seasons. He plans on coming back to participate in future Swinney Camps and will camp at Clemson as much as he can.

“I’d love to continue building my relationship and I feel like with how I played at the camp this summer, it’s gonna be up to me when I put the pads on,” he said. “I think I solidified a nice spot in my recruitment with Clemson. I have interest from them now, which is what any athlete goes into a camp, they want to be able to get in front of the eyes of college coaches and I feel like I did that at a really high level.

“It was very successful and I think that Clemson will definitely continue to recruit me, but it’s gonna be up to me and how I play when the pads come on. I’d love to come up for a game.”

Pritchett went into his decision to reclassify, which he said had to do with his older brother, Lawson, tearing his ACL. He and his family felt like Lawson deserved to play his senior season and not have to come in and redshirt during his first year of college. Instead, they looked at a school called Rabun Gap, which allowed them to reclassify, as Lawson will not sit out during his would-be junior season.

Marshall didn’t see any downside for himself. After playing his sophomore season in Charleston, he didn’t have a true position, which put him behind the eight-ball. Now that he’s come into this wide receiver/tight end role, he thinks that’ll be beneficial to him and his recruitment going forward. He’ll have a full year to bulk up, focus on getting in and out of breaks, getting better as a receiver and also have another year of playing with his brother, which is the real kicker.

— Photo for this article courtesy of @MarshallPritch on Twitter.

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Talented young New Jersey QB ‘would love to one day be a Clemson Tiger’

A talented young signal-caller to keep an eye on in the future was on campus at Clemson last month. Red Bank (N.J.) quarterback Kahden Davis participated in the second day of the Dabo Swinney Camp on June 2. “When I went to the Clemson camp it was a …

A talented young signal-caller to keep an eye on in the future was on campus at Clemson last month.

Red Bank (N.J.) quarterback Kahden Davis participated in the second day of the Dabo Swinney Camp on June 2.

“When I went to the Clemson camp it was a great experience,” Davis told The Clemson Insider recently. “I had tons of fun and the energy was like none other. The facility was amazing, and all of the coaches and athletes showed amazing hospitality making me feel welcomed. I loved how they didn’t just let us go through drills but took time to help me add tools to my toolbelt. It was my first visit to Clemson, and I can’t wait to be back.”

Although he is just a rising eighth grader in the class of 2027, Davis has already started to get an early look and interest from power conference programs.

“I’d say Michigan and Syracuse are showing the most early interest so far,” he said. “They have my film but also had a chance to see me work out at multiple camps this summer so far.”

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Davis showcased his dual-threat ability last season, completing 60 of 87 passing attempts for 1,236 yards and 14 touchdowns with only three interceptions while rushing for 629 yards and six touchdowns on 52 carries, averaging 12.1 yards per tote.

“I would describe myself as a field general because of my leadership and my character on the field,” he said. “One thing I’m proud of is how coaches always talk about how I keep my eyes downfield when the play falls apart, always looking to get the ball to someone downfield rather than take off running. I have been compared to Donovan McNabb and Ben Roethlisberger because of my body frame, arm strength and ability to run when things get tight.”

Davis is pleased with how he performed at the Swinney Camp and enjoyed working with Clemson’s staff, including quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter.

“At the camp I felt like I threw well and did a phenomenal job,” he said. “Coach Streeter and the QB staff — Kaleb Nobles (offensive player development, quarterbacks) and Tajh Boyd (offensive analyst) – was energetic and you can tell they really pour a lot into their QB room just from working with them at camp. They really helped me to dial in on making my dropback footwork more precise.”

Davis left Clemson very impressed after his camp visit and the time he spent around Streeter, the Tigers’ staff and Swinney’s program as a whole.

The promising young quarterback would be thrilled to have the chance to suit up for the Tigers down the road.

“After meeting with Coach Streeter after camp I can say without a doubt that Clemson is a place that cares about creating well-rounded men and not just football players,” he said. “The fact that Coach Swinney makes it a point to push all his players, even after graduation and even pro guys, to get their degree was impressive because academics are super important to me. Also the fact that they don’t really use the transfer portal means they recruit well and truly believe and invest in their players.”

“Their football legacy is of course impressive, but it was the non-football related things that stood out most to me,” he continued. “The other thing I liked is how unapologetic they were about their belief in Christ and that to me stood out most. If I got an offer from Clemson down the road it would mean A LOT to me! I would love to one day be a Clemson Tiger.”

–Photo courtesy of @KahdenDavis on Twitter

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Standout local QB ‘loved’ Swinney Camp, high on Clemson

A standout local signal-caller, who has been a familiar face at the Dabo Swinney Camp over the years, returned to campus to work out at the camp yet again this summer. Wren High School (Piedmont, S.C.) quarterback Gavin Owens – a 6-foot-4, 205-pound …

A standout local signal-caller, who has been a familiar face at the Dabo Swinney Camp over the years, returned to campus to work out at the camp yet again this summer.

Wren High School (Piedmont, S.C.) quarterback Gavin Owens – a 6-foot-4, 205-pound rising sophomore in the class of 2025 – had the chance to showcase his talent while throwing during the afternoon session on Day 1 of the Swinney Camp on Wednesday, June 1.

“I loved it,” Owens said to The Clemson Insider regarding his camp experience. “I always go down to Clemson and I love it. I just love the environment. The camp was a great experience, being out there with the coaches and some of the players. I learned a lot. They taught me some things, some things I need to fix, too, in my throwing – a lot of ball carriage stuff and footwork, and getting my hips around when I throw the ball.”

Owens, who already holds a handful of Division I scholarship offers, including a few Power Five offers, estimates that he has been participating in the Swinney Camp since he was around 10 years old.

The highlight of this year’s camp, Owens said, was competing in the one-on-one portion of the session.

“The one-on-ones, I had a great completion rate, rarely threw an incompletion,” he added.

According to Owens, his camp performance drew positive feedback from Clemson’s coaching staff.

Piedmont (S.C.) Wren 2025 QB Gavin Owens during the afternoon session on Day 1 of the Dabo Swinney Camp Wednesday, June 1

“They said I did pretty good,” he said. “They want me to keep coming back and see me every year, see how I develop, and they want me to come back for a game in the fall.”

Owens, who intends to get back on campus during the season, enjoyed working with Brandon Streeter at the camp and feels his relationship with Clemson’s offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach grew “a whole lot” stronger there.

“I’m getting closer to him every time I see him,” he said. “He was with me doing drills. He always stopped by, had something to say, maybe fix something I was doing wrong or just give me a compliment on my throw.”

“He’s a great coach,” Owens added. “He really knows what he’s talking about. He has a great relationship with the players, anybody. Even people that he may not know, he always has good things to say, no matter what.”

Owens also had an opportunity to catch up with former Clemson star quarterback and current Clemson offensive player development coach Tajh Boyd, with whom Owens has already built a good relationship.

“I spoke to him after the camp,” Owens said. “I saw him after the camp, after Coach Dabo broke us down to leave. I didn’t see him any during the camp because I only went for the afternoon session. I couldn’t make it to the morning session because I had school. But I saw him after the camp was done. I talked to him a little bit.”

Kentucky, Louisville, Virginia Tech, Marshall, Western Kentucky and Florida A&M have already offered Owens.

Clemson, of course, hasn’t started offering recruits in the class of 2025 yet. But Owens feels his chances of earning an offer from the Tigers in the future are “pretty high” and says Clemson is one of his top schools early in the recruiting process even though it’s not on his current offer list.

“I’m still loving it,” he said. “It’s really a top-three school in my mind right now.”

Owens has also camped at schools like Louisville, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Alabama and Wake Forest this month.

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Big-time QB soaks in knowledge from Clemson legend during ‘awesome’ visit

One of the nation’s top gunslingers in the class of 2025 was back in Tiger Town last week. As he checked out various programs this summer, Findlay (Oh.) quarterback Ryan Montgomery made sure to stop at Clemson. “It was awesome,” Montgomery told The …

One of the nation’s top gunslingers in the class of 2025 was back in Tiger Town last week. As he checked out various programs this summer, Findlay (Oh.) quarterback Ryan Montgomery made sure to stop at Clemson.

“It was awesome,” Montgomery told The Clemson Insider regarding his Clemson visit. “What was cool was Tajh Boyd was with us the entire time. He’s on staff now at Clemson, so that was really cool to see. The amount of former players that are on staff now at Clemson is just unreal like it’s the most of any place I’ve ever been to. That speaks measures by itself. The visit itself went really well. We toured around the campus and the facilities and went out to dinner.”

Clemson’s culture immediately stood out to Montgomery. It wasn’t his first time on campus, but the way Clemson cares for its players is something that immediately grabbed his attention.

“They have such a strong brotherhood there that I really like,” he said.

Montgomery spent a lot of his time on campus with Boyd.

“He’s not just a football player, he’s a really successful former player at Clemson,” Montgomery said of Boyd. “Just seeing the amount of knowledge he has, when he’s talking to you, you just want to soak up as much as possible. When you’re talking to him, you’re learning from him and you’re learning from the best.”

Boyd is part of a tradition at Clemson that has made Tiger Town an intriguing option for quarterback recruits around the country. The success that Boyd, Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence had at Clemson is definitely something Montgomery will have to consider when evaluating the development he’ll get from potential suitors at the next level.

“It definitely does, just seeing the past couple of quarterbacks have had in recent years at Clemson,” Montgomery said. “Obviously, the dream goal is to play college football and succeed there. The dream goal is to one-time play in the NFL. That’s the dream. Clemson is definitely a place that can develop you that can get to that point. “

Academics come first, though. Montgomery understands that getting a degree from Clemson will set him up for life. He also got to witness that first-hand in his older brother’s recruitment.

Clemson was among the final suitors for 2023 four-star offensive tackle Luke Montgomery,  who verbally pledged to Ohio State earlier this year. The way Clemson recruited Luke and treated the Montgomery family stood out to Ryan and left him wanting to find out more about the program for his own recruitment.

“For sure,” he said. “They’re amazing people and I’d say that they’re a player-first culture and that is really awesome. They really care about their players, not just the development on the field, but off the field and as a person and things like becoming a better husband, a better son and everything like that. I just thought that was really cool and, obviously, they really care about getting a degree at Clemson. I know that’s big in our family — academics.”

In addition to Clemson, Ryan checked out other programs like Michigan State, Virginia, North  Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky. 

“Not every kid gets this opportunity, so I definitely don’t take it for granted,” Ryan said about getting back on the recruiting trail this summer. “I soak in as much as possible…and at the end of the day it’s just a blessing and it’s really cool to get around to all these places, learn about these schools and just keep building these relationships with all these coaches.”

While Ryan loved being on these recruiting trips, he was also ready to get back with his team. He hates missing out on the workouts. That speaks to Ryan’s character, but we also wanted to find out who he is as a player from his own point of view.

“I’d say I’m more of a prototypical quarterback,” Ryan said when asked to describe himself as a player. “I’d say I’m more of a drop-back passer. The one thing I’d say is that I’m a really good leader and my work ethic is second to none.”

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