Tag: Tajh Boyd

Elite Peach State QB felt ‘a lot of love’ at Clemson

Among the standout gunslingers who had the chance to showcase their talent on the second day of the Dabo Swinney Camp on Thursday, June 2 was Julian “Ju Ju” Lewis – a 6-foot-1, 175-pound rising freshman out of Carrollton (Ga.) High School. While …

Among the standout gunslingers who had the chance to showcase their talent on the second day of the Dabo Swinney Camp on Thursday, June 2 was Julian “Ju Ju” Lewis — a 6-foot-1, 175-pound rising freshman out of Carrollton (Ga.) High School.

While Lewis is in the class of 2026, he quarterbacked Carrollton’s ninth-grade team this past season. Lewis has already received a lot of accolades, like being named FBU’s eighth-grade National Player of the Year. He was also ranked as the No. 1 QB in the nation for his class by QB Hit List.

“The camp went well overall,” Lewis told The Clemson Insider regarding his Swinney Camp experience. “It was a two-session thing, we got there a little late, but when we got there, we got to work and it was good.”

What type of feedback did Lewis get from Clemson’s coaching staff?

“They like me, but they have their whole offer thing until the end of sophomore year,” he said. “They talked about when they offered Trevor (Lawrence) and stuff like that. Overall, the coaches were cool. I always enjoy my time there. There’s a lot of love out there.”

Lewis understands Clemson’s recruiting philosophy, as the Tigers are currently focused on building a relationship with the talented Peach State signal-caller. He can tell Clemson is definitely interested in him, but because of his age, he likely won’t be seeing an offer anytime soon.

“It’s a lot of love out there,” he said regarding his relationship with Clemson’s staff. “It feels like a family out there, everybody there is extremely loyal to their players and it’s straight love out there. The two times I’ve been up there, they’ve been acting the same towards me. I got a good relationship with Coach (Tajh) Boyd. I’ve been talking to him and I’ve talked to Coach Swinney a little bit. Everyone’s real cool out there.”

Lewis hasn’t officially started high school yet, but he already holds offers from Power Five programs like Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt and Texas.

“I feel the same as everyone else,” Lewis said. “Of course, it’s a blessing getting all these looks at such a young age, but at the end of the day, I’m just like everybody else. I got the most offers on the Carrollton High School football team, but I still gotta go in every day like I’m everybody else. Knowing I have these offers and looks, I still gotta outwork everybody and show them I deserve it.”

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Clemson ‘dream school’ for talented local QB on Tigers’ radar

The Clemson Insider caught up with a talented young signal-caller who stood out at the Elite 11 Regional in Atlanta earlier this month and is on the Tigers’ future recruiting radar. Gavin Owens, a class of 2025 quarterback from nearby Wren High …

The Clemson Insider caught up with a talented young signal-caller who stood out at the Elite 11 Regional in Atlanta earlier this month and is on the Tigers’ future recruiting radar.

Gavin Owens, a class of 2025 quarterback from nearby Wren High School (Piedmont, S.C.), impressed with his performance at the Elite 11 Regional Atlanta at Carrollton (Ga.) High School on Sunday, April 3.

“Elite 11 was a good experience,” Owens told The Clemson Insider. “I threw the ball well and I got noticed by some of the coaches and writers there. I was one of three 2025 (freshmen in the class of 2025) invited, too.”

Owens (6-4, 205) was the starting quarterback for Wren’s varsity team in 2021, when he accounted for 2,262 yards and 19 touchdowns as a freshman.

Kentucky, Marshall and Florida A&M have already extended offers to Owens, who is also drawing interest from schools such as Penn State, Florida State, LSU and Auburn, along with Clemson.

“One main thing is being coachable, and also my footwork,” Owens said of why he feels he’s attracting attention early in the recruiting process. “Another big one, my arm strength, and also my throwing technique.”

Owens made the short trip to Clemson last fall for an unofficial recruiting visit on Saturday, Oct. 30, when he took in the Tigers’ 30-20 victory over Florida State at Death Valley.

Asked what he remembers most about that visit, Owens replied, “The atmosphere, all the people.”

“It just felt like home to me,” he added.

Wren High School (Piedmont, S.C.) 2025 QB Gavin Owens with Clemson offensive player development coach Tajh Boyd (photo courtesy of @gavinowens06 on Twitter)

While on campus, Owens had the chance to spend time with Clemson offensive player development coach Tajh Boyd.

Boyd gave Owens a tour of the football facility before the game, and Owens enjoyed being shown around by the legendary Clemson quarterback.

“He’s a cool dude, good to be around,” Owens said. “Very great guy.”

Boyd let Owens know during that visit that the Tigers are keeping tabs on him.

“He was telling me that it seems like Clemson really likes me a lot,” Owens recalled, “and they watch me and follow me, see how I’m doing.”

Speaking of former Clemson quarterbacks, Owens got to know Kelly Bryant last season when the former Wren quarterback returned to his alma mater as a mentor to Owens and his teammates.

“He actually helped us this past year during the season,” Owens said. “Came in middle of the season, helped with the quarterbacks and actually taught us a few things and gave us some tips to be better, and he actually helped us. Once he came in, he gave us a positive winning percentage. I feel like he really helped us when he came in.”

Owens will likely be back at Clemson this summer to compete at the Dabo Swinney Camp, which he has participated in multiple times over the years and feels he has benefited from.

“I started off going when I was little, and just building off of them and just them teaching me ways to get better,” he said. “I feel like they helped me grow in strength, throwing the ball, and mentally.”

As a local recruit, Owens would be ecstatic to earn an offer from Clemson in the future and have the chance to suit up for the Tigers down the road.

“That’s my dream school,” he said. “That would be great.”

Along with Clemson, Owens has been able to visit schools such as Georgia, Auburn, Kentucky, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Penn State, West Virginia, Marshall, Eastern Kentucky and Florida A&M thus far in the recruiting process.

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Spiller names his top five Clemson offensive playmakers ever

Former Clemson great C.J. Spiller was a guest this week on The Players Club Podcast, hosted by former Clemson running back Darien Rencher. The Clemson legend and Tigers’ current running backs coach was asked by Rencher to list the top five offensive …

Former Clemson great C.J. Spiller was a guest this week on The Players Club Podcast, hosted by former Clemson running back Darien Rencher.

The Clemson legend and Tigers’ current running backs coach was asked by Rencher to list the top five offensive playmakers to ever come through Tiger Town, in his opinion.

Spiller, in no particular order, named his top five of running backs Travis Etienne, James Davis and Raymond Priester, quarterback Deshaun Watson and wide receiver Sammy Watkins.

Spiller also named quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Tajh Boyd, wide receivers Mike Williams and DeAndre Hopkins, and running Andre Ellington as honorable mentions.

You can watch Spiller talk with Rencher about his top five Clemson offensive playmakers ever below:

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2023 CB recaps ‘really cool’ surprise visit to Clemson Saturday night

The Clemson Insider caught up with a surprise visitor in the 2023 recruiting class, who was on Clemson’s campus Saturday night Dematha (Hyattsville, MD.) three-star cornerback Dante Lovett traveled to the University of South Carolina for an …

The Clemson Insider caught up with a surprise visitor in the 2023 recruiting class, who was on Clemson’s campus Saturday night

Dematha (Hyattsville, MD.) three-star cornerback Dante Lovett traveled to the University of South Carolina for an unofficial visit and to his surprise, there was also a trip to Clemson planned later that night.

“It was cool. Clemson was real cool,” Lovett said. “I had just went out there after I went to South Carolina. It was about a 2.5-hour drive. Once I got there, It was really nice just to get on campus. Everything about it was great.

“I had never been to Clemson or South Carolina, so it was like a 2-in-1 trip and that was real cool. I liked both of them a lot too.”

His trainer and mentor, Roc Carmichael, had planned it and wanted to surprise Lovett and Life Christain Academy (Colonial Heights, VA.) 2023 four-star cornerback Antonio Cotman, Jr.

The former Virginia Tech and Philadelphia Eagles cornerback didn’t tell either of them until they both made it to South Carolina’s campus.

“We went out there and met with Tajh Boyd and he brought us around and showed us around the facilities and everything,” Lovett said.

Clemson previously hadn’t shown much interest in Lovett. When Brent Venables was still Clemson’s defensive coordinator he followed him on Twitter, but obviously, he has since moved on and become the head coach at Oklahoma.

Now that he visited, Lovett believes that Clemson will be in contact down the line. Boyd, who returned to Clemson as and serves as a part of the team’s offensive player development staff, has since followed him on Twitter.

“He’s really cool,” Lovett said of Boyd. “He’s really cool. He’s a real down-to-earth person. I didn’t realize that was him at first and then he said who he was and I was like ‘Oh, wow. I didn’t realize that was you.’ I didn’t put two-and-two together, but after a while, he showed his film and all that, back when he was playing. It was cool.”

What would Lovett say the highlight of his visit was?

“Just the facilities in general,” he said, “everything about it. Just seeing the trophies when you walk in. Seeing all the gear, the indoor facility, all that.”

These visits are helping Lovett evaluate his options and show him what each and every school has to offer. Clemson has set the standard high, so when Lovett looks at schools going forward, he’s going to compare it to one of the top schools in the country.

“For me, the academic part and a place that just feels like home,” Lovett said when asked what he’s looking for in a school at the next level. “I want to get that and just feel welcomed…it’s just about finding a perfect place that feels like family.”

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Local QB standout on Clemson visit: ‘Felt like I was at home’

Two weeks ago, a talented young local quarterback made the short trip to Clemson for an unofficial game visit. Wren High School (Piedmont, S.C.) 2025 signal-caller Gavin Owens was on campus to take in the Tigers’ 30-20 victory over Florida State at …

Two weeks ago, a talented young local quarterback made the short trip to Clemson for an unofficial game visit.

Wren High School (Piedmont, S.C.) 2025 signal-caller Gavin Owens was on campus to take in the Tigers’ 30-20 victory over Florida State at Death Valley on Saturday, Oct. 30.

“It was great,” Owens told The Clemson Insider. “I loved the atmosphere. Felt like I was at home.”

Owens, a 6-foot-4, 191-pound freshman, is the starting quarterback for Wren’s varsity team. Through 10 games this season, according to MaxPreps, he had completed 55 percent of his passes for 1,863 yards and 14 touchdowns to go with 113 yards rushing and three more scores on the ground.

Kentucky and Marshall have already offered the 14-year-old Owens, who is also drawing interest from schools such as Georgia, Auburn, Virginia Tech and Penn State, along with Clemson.

Owens said the Tigers began showing interest a few weeks prior to the FSU game, at which time they invited him to attend the contest.

The highlight of the visit for Owens was meeting quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter, as well as offensive player development coach Tajh Boyd.

What did Owens hear from the coaches while he was on campus?

“That I’ve been working hard during the season and doing great,” he said.

Boyd gave Owens a tour of the football facility before the game, and Owens enjoyed being shown around by the legendary Clemson quarterback.

“It was good, I loved it. I loved the facility,” Owens said.

“The good thing is that I met Tajh Boyd was when I was younger,” he added. “I was I think maybe 6 or 7, and it was good meeting him again [now that] I’m all grown up.”

In addition to interacting with Boyd and Streeter, one of the highlights of the day for Owens was seeing the Tigers rub Howard’s Rock and run down the hill before taking on the Seminoles.

“I really loved it,” he said of the most exciting 25 seconds in college football. “It was cool.”

A multi-sport athlete, Owens also plays basketball at Wren. Owens and the Hurricanes’ football team will face Powdersville in the second round of the Class 3A state playoffs tonight.

In-state DB’s Clemson visit highlighted by meeting Tiger legends

An in-state prospect made his way to Death Valley last Saturday to attend his first game at Clemson as a recruit. Camden (S.C.) High School 2022 defensive back Jaylen Pate was on hand for the Tigers’ 19-13 victory over Boston College and came away …

An in-state prospect made his way to Death Valley last Saturday to attend his first game at Clemson as a recruit.

Camden (S.C.) High School 2022 defensive back Jaylen Pate was on hand for the Tigers’ 19-13 victory over Boston College and came away impressed by the environment of a night game in The Valley – especially how loud Clemson fans were while cheering the team on.

“Not only the atmosphere up there, but the fans are real, you know what I mean,” he said.

The highlight of the unofficial visit for Pate was getting to spend time with a couple of Clemson football legends who are now on Dabo Swinney’s staff.

“I got to meet two of my favorite former players – Tajh Boyd and C.J. Spiller,” Pate said. “I actually got a tour from Tajh Boyd to see the facilities and stuff, and he gave me some words of advice.”

Pate also made an unofficial visit to South Carolina in late September but said he has been a Clemson fan all his life.

“Always, since I was probably like 2,” he said. “That’s definitely my dream school.”

A 6-foot, 180-pound senior, Pate describes himself as a playmaker on the defensive side of the ball in the secondary.

“I think I’m pretty good in man coverage,” he said. “I think I’m pretty fast. I can definitely make plays on the ball if needed. I’m a pretty good tackler, if I do say so myself.”

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Clemson releases UGA game hype video narrated by Tajh Boyd

Clemson is ready for its top-five matchup against Georgia at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Charlotte. Ahead of the showdown between the third-ranked Tigers and No. 5 Bulldogs in the Duke’s Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium, Clemson Football released a …

Clemson is ready for its top-five matchup against Georgia at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Charlotte.

Ahead of the showdown between the third-ranked Tigers and No. 5 Bulldogs in the Duke’s Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium, Clemson Football released a hype video narrated by Tajh Boyd.

Check out the video below:

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Fans might recognize Clemson’s newest weapon in 2021

There is a familiar face roaming the Clemson sidelines this year, and it is one that has a smile that stretches from ear to ear. Tajh Boyd has returned to coach at Clemson, working as an offensive analyst helping the quarterbacks on Dabo Swinney’s …

There is a familiar face roaming the Clemson sidelines this year, and it is one that has a smile that stretches from ear to ear.

Tajh Boyd has returned to coach at Clemson, working as an offensive analyst helping the quarterbacks on Dabo Swinney’s staff. Boyd’s return to Clemson could not come at a better time, as for the first time since his departure in 2013, the Tigers have a quarterback that plays with the same style and has the same qualities and features that made Boyd so enduring to Clemson fans.

D.J. Uiagalelei is a big quarterback. When he checked into camp last week, Uiagalelei checked in at 6-foot-4, 247 pounds. He is by far the biggest quarterback Clemson has ever had.

Boyd was not even close to Uiagalelei’s size, but he was big for a college quarterback. During his sophomore season, Boyd played around 235 pounds, garnering him the nickname “Fat Boy” by his teammates.

But by his junior season, Boyd slimmed down to about 225 pounds and became the Tigers’ main weapon, not just in the passing game, but in the run game. He became the main in short yardage situations and inside the 10-yard line.

When it is was third-and-short, Boyd was almost unstoppable with the quarterback power, something the Clemson offense has not run really since. That is going to change this year.

Clemson’s run-spread attack was designed for a quarterback like Uiagalelei. It gained its popularity when Cam Newton ran Guz Malzahn’s offense all the way to a Heisman Trophy and national championship at Auburn in 2010.

When Chad Morris brought his friend’s offense to Clemson in 2011, Boyd was a perfect fit, as he became the ACC’s second all-time leader in passing yards (11,904) and the league’s all-time leader in touchdown passes (107) and touchdown responsibilities (133).

Boyd is still the only ACC quarterback in history to throw for more than 100 touchdowns in his college career.

“It is so fun to have Tajh back because (Uiagalelei) reminds me a lot of Tajh,” Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. “You think about Tajh and Tajh had a huge arm. There has been Deshaun [Watson] and there has been Trevor [Lawrence], but it started with Tajh and the big arm and then his running style. I think there are similarities with their running styles, and it was the same back then.”

Boyd never really put up the big numbers running the ball that Woody Dantzler, Watson or Steve Fuller did in their Clemson careers, but he was effective in a different way. He set the Clemson record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 26 in his career and was so dominate in short-yardage situations that he kept defenses off-balance.

“He was that guy that neutralized the defense,” said Elliott, who was the running backs coach at Clemson during the Boyd era. “Whenever you try to get a number, and obviously, you want to hand the ball to the backs and tell those guys to carry the load. But whenever you needed to surprise the defense or balance it out to create the numbers you got to have, you have to have that quarterback run game.

“Then there are certain components of our RPO and our run game that the quarterback has to make us right when pulling the ball and we have been fortunate to have guys that can go the distance. I think D.J. is potentially one of those guys in the long run, but we just have to see what he is comfortable with and where he is at. As this offense creates its identity, we will see how the quarterback run fits into that identity.”

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Boyd poised to make impact at Clemson, again

Clemson welcomed former quarterback Tajh Boyd back to the program this month to serve as an offensive analyst. Boyd played for the Tigers from 2010-13 and asserted himself as one of the best to take snaps in the program as he helped usher it onto …

Clemson welcomed former quarterback Tajh Boyd back to the program this month to serve as an offensive analyst.

Boyd played for the Tigers from 2010-13 and asserted himself as one of the best to take snaps in the program as he helped usher it onto the national stage. The All-American has already made an impact on D.J. Uiagalelei as he enters his first season as the starting quarterback for Clemson.

“It’s definitely cool having Tajh and there are a lot of former players on the staff you have Brandon Streeter who was a former quarterback and J.P. Losman who was a former Bills quarterback so there’s a lot of people,” Uiagalelei said at the ACC Kickoff. “ But having him back is a different perspective from all the other coach so it’s super cool I love Tajh he’s a good guy.”

Head coach Dabo Swinney made it a point when he got the job at Clemson to keep as many former players around the program as possible.

“We’ve talked about that from day one when we built our program. I love being able to give a former player opportunity where it’s warranted,” Swinney said. “It’s been cool to see so many guys pursue coaching.”

Swinney got his start in coaching in a similar fashion at Alabama when Gene Stallings brought him on as a graduate assistant at the end of his playing career in 1993. After two seasons he assumed the role of wide receiver coach for the Crimson Tide from 1996-2000 before his journey eventually led Swinney to Clemson in 2003.

Quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter played for the Tigers from 1997-99 and was the starting signal called his last two seasons in Clemson. After his college career he too went straight into coaching and returned to Clemson in 2015 in his current role.

Streeter told The Clemson Insider how excited he is to have Boyd on the coaching staff.

“Tajh has a bright future in this profession there’s no doubt about it. I’m excited for our guys to be around him because he’s got a ton of experience and they look up to him,” Streeter said. “He’s going to be a guy who can give them a lot of wisdom as they go through the process.”

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Clemson legend joins Swinney’s staff

Another former Clemson standout has joined head coach Dabo Swinney’s staff. The Clemson Insider confirmed that All-American Tajh Boyd joined the football staff to help Brandon Streeter with the quarterbacks as an analyst. Boyd played for the Tigers …

Another former Clemson standout has joined head coach Dabo Swinney’s staff.

The Clemson Insider confirmed that All-American Tajh Boyd joined the football staff to help Brandon Streeter with the quarterbacks as an analyst.

Boyd played for the Tigers from 2010-13 and established himself as one of the best quarterbacks to ever don the orange and white.

And the Clemson graduate will serve as a big help to the team as an offensive analyst and ambassador for the program.

He guided the Tigers to a 32-8 record, which included wins over LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in 2012 and a win over Ohio State in the 2014 Orange Bowl. The 32 wins are tied with Rodney Williams and Deshaun Watson as the second most in school history for a quarterback behind Trevor Lawrence who finished his time at Clemson 34-2 as a starter.

Boyd also won ACC Player of the Year honors in 2012 and was a First-Team All-American as well that season. He also led Clemson to its first ACC Championship in 20 years when he and the Tigers beat then No. 3 Virginia Tech, 38-10, in the 2011 ACC Championship Game.

Boyd was named as the game’s Most Valuable Player.

Boyd finished his career at Clemson as the ACC’s all-time leader in touchdown passes with 107. He also holds Clemson’s career marks in passing attempts (1,402), completions (901), yards (11,904), 200-yard games (35), 300-yard games and consecutive games as the starter (40). He also went 107 pass attempts without an interception, which is a Clemson record as well. He also holds the Clemson single-game and ACC record for total touchdowns in a game with 8.

Boyd has worked for Lakeside Lodge in Clemson for the last few years and also did stints with The Clemson Insider and radio duties with the Clemson Sports Network.

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