Tag: Tomarrion Parker

Penn State’s 2023 football commitment tracker

The Penn State football Class of 2023 commitment tracker has been updated with the latest recruiting development

The Class of 2022 was great for Penn State, but it’s already time to turn the page toward the Class of 2023. And James Franklin and the Nittany Lions already had a few commitments on the board for the Class of 2023 as the signed letters of intent were coming in for the Class of 2022.

We’ll be keeping track of every commitment that goes on the board for Penn State in the Class of 2023. But knowing that odds are pretty good at least one player will have a change of heart somewhere along the recruiting process, we’ll keep tabs on what they are doing up until signing day.

This tracker will be updated accordingly when needed. It was last updated on February 1, 2023.

Where did the players who decommitted from Penn State end up?

Where did the players who decommitted from Penn State end up in the Class of 2023, and who is still out there?

Penn State just welcomed 22 new members to its football program with the signing of its Class of 2023, although there could still be some more room for another recruit or two or new pieces coming through the transfer portal. But there are some players that got away from Penn State during the recruiting process, which is perfectly normal in this game. Every school deals with a handful of players who change their minds after committing to them at some point in the process because high school students are allowed to change their minds for whatever reason they choose when it comes to where they will be going to college. Such was the case for Penn State with a number of players opting to back off a commitment to the Nittany Lions in the Class of 2023.

Fortunately for Penn State, [autotag]Mathias Barnwell[/autotag] was a rare case where he came back to committing to Penn State after decommitting.

“When he committed, wanted to make sure they were comfortable, truly knew what that was,” head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] said when reflecting on the recruiting efforts of Barnwell that ultimately led to Barnwell signing with Penn State in the Class of 2023. “His eyes started to wander in 10th grade, then committed back to us, which doesn’t always happen.”

Penn State could still end up welcoming another player or two that had previously committed to Penn State before backing off of it along the way. Quarterback [autotag]Marcus Stokes[/autotag] and wide receiver [autotag]Ejani Shakir[/autotag] are two players still available in the recruiting pool. Each had committed to Penn State in the past before stepping back. In the case of Stokes, he flipped his commitment to Florida before having his scholarship offer pulled after a controversial video of Stokes went viral. Shakir merely wanted to take more time to weigh his options, it seems. Both players are currently projected by recruiting analysts and metrics to end up at Penn State, but time will tell how that all plays out.

Here are a few others who backed off a commitment to Penn State and where they each ended up in the early signing period.

Clemson gets commitment from 4-star DL Tomarrion Parker

Four-star defensive end Tomarrion Parker announces he’s committed to playing college football for Clemson.

Clemson University has started Thanksgiving week with a bang, securing the commitment of one of the best undecided defensive linemen in the recruiting class of 2023.

This morning Central (Ala.) defensive lineman Tomarrion Parker announced that he’s committed to Clemson.

In his Junior year, Parker totaled 9.5 sacks and 23 tackles for a loss. Parker (6-foot-4, 250 pounds) is now ranked No. 9 and No. 88 nationally.

He had offers from 25 other schools, including Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee and South Carolina.

Parker becomes the 16th four-star recruit and 22nd hard commit for Clemson. The news pushed the Tigers to No. 9 in this recruiting cycle, less than one point behind No. 8 Florida.

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Clemson picks up big 2023 commitment from Alabama 4-star

Clemson picks up its fifth top 100 prospect of the 2023 class with Parker’s commitment on Monday.

It’s been an exciting 24 hours for Clemson recruiting.

Less than one day after the Tigers picked up their first commit of the 2024 recruiting class in safety Tavoy Feagin, 2023 four-star star Tomarrion Parker announced his commitment to Clemson on Monday morning. Parker chose the Tigers over Tennessee, Texas A&M, Penn State and Alabama.

The 6-foot-four, 250-pound defensive end out of Central High School (Phenix City, Ala.) was offered by the Tigers back in August after announcing his decommitment from Penn State. Parker made two visits to Death Valley this fall for the Furman game on Sept. 10 (unofficial visit) and the Syracuse game on Oct. 22 (official visit).

The four-star joins Phenix City, Ala. natives safety Caleb Nix and wide receiver E.J. Williams as well as former Clemson wide receiver Justyn Ross who all hail from the same area in the Yellowhammer State.

According to 247Sports, Parker is ranked as the No. 5 player in his home state of Alabama and the No. 45 overall player in the country.

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Clemson lands commitment from Alabama DE, top-50 national recruit

Clemson’s football program has picked up its second commitment in as many days. Central High School (Phenix City, Ala.) four-star defensive end Tomarrion “T.J.” Parker announced his verbal pledge to Clemson’s 2023 class on Monday morning, just a day …

Clemson’s football program has picked up its second commitment in as many days.

Central High School (Phenix City, Ala.) four-star defensive end Tomarrion “T.J.” Parker announced his verbal pledge to Clemson’s 2023 class on Monday morning, just a day after Carrollwood Day (Tampa, Fla.) four-star cornerback Tavoy Feagin became the Tigers’ first 2024 commitment on Sunday.

Parker (6-4, 250) chose Clemson over numerous other offers, including his other finalists in Penn State, Tennessee and Texas A&M.

Clemson extended an offer to Parker on Aug. 11, after he decommitted from Penn State a couple days prior.

“I always wanted to say that Clemson offered,” Parker told The Clemson Insider shortly after being offered. “We’ve been talking for a little while and once I decommitted, some of the commits, some of my friends that I know — Peter Woods and (Christopher) Vizzina — they hit me up and they were like, ‘Bro, would you be interested in Clemson?’

“Are you kidding me? Of course!”

Parker made an official visit to Clemson for the Oct. 22 Syracuse game and returned to campus as an unofficial visitor for the Miami game this past Saturday. He also unofficially visited Tiger Town for the Sept. 10 Furman game.

Clemson defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall and defensive tackles coach Nick Eason did a great job of building a strong bond with Parker during the recruiting process.

“I definitely rock with Coach Hall and Coach Eason,” Parker told TCI after being offered by Clemson. “We’ve been talking for well over a year now. We’ve gotten to know each other real well. He knows my family real well and we talk all the time. We’ve been talking every day since I decommitted (from Penn State) and before that, whenever we were talking, we were talking constantly. I really like Coach Hall. He’s a great coach. I feel like if I was to go to Clemson, he could get me to where I want to be in life.”

Parker is ranked as high as the No. 45 overall prospect in the 2023 class by 247Sports, which considers him the No. 5 prospect in the Yellowhammer State and No. 6 defensive lineman nationally.

He joins Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.) five-star Peter Woods, Warner Robins (Ga.) four-star Vic Burley, Rome (Ga.) four-star Stephiylan Green, St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) four-star David Ojiegbe and Woodward Academy (Atlanta, Ga.) four-star A.J. Hoffler in Clemson’s defensive line haul for the 2023 class.

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!

Recruiting update: Multiple future recruits will attend Ole Miss game this weekend

Eight 2023, 2024, and 2024 recruits will attend the Aggies’ primetime matchup with the 15th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday

The Aggies are gearing up for their primetime matchup with the 15th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday night in what should be a packed Kyle Field as the team hasn’t played in front of the 12th man in 42 days, one of their longest stretches in the program’s history.

Since the start of one of the busiest news weeks for the Aggies season, ranging from player suspensions to season-ending injuries, one of the stories that fell under the radar came to light later in the week, as eight 2023, 2024, and 2024 recruits will visit College Station this weekend, and attend the Ole Miss game set to kick off at 6:30 PM CT. on the SEC Network.

The eight players who will be attending the game are listed as current Texas A&M commit, 2023 defensive tackle David Hicks Jr., 2023 Texas commit Malk Muhammad, 2023 Edge Tomarrian Parker, 2023 Michigan State commit, running back Kedrick Reescano, 2024 quarterback DJ Lagway, 2024 defensive tackle T.A. Cunningham, 2024 linebacker Payton Pierce, and 2025 quarterback Bekkem Kritza.

Yes, Texas A&M is 3-4 and 1-3 in the SEC, but this is one of the most important weekends not only for a team looking to win their first game in nearly a month, but for a staff that needs to impress the eight highly touted recruits in attendance enough for them to really consider the Aggies late in the recruiting process. Gig ’em, and BTHO Ole Miss.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty

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Tigers set to host top prospects for Syracuse game

Clemson will play host to a bunch of top prospects for Saturday’s 12 p.m. game against Syracuse. Here are some of the bigger names The Clemson Insider has confirmed as planned visitors for the top-15 ACC Atlantic Division showdown at Death Valley: …

Clemson will play host to a bunch of top prospects for Saturday’s 12 p.m. game against Syracuse.

Here are some of the bigger names The Clemson Insider has confirmed as planned visitors for the top-15 ACC Atlantic Division showdown at Death Valley:

One of the headliners among the recruits expected to be in attendance is Central High School (Phenix City, Ala.) four-star defensive end Tomarrion Parker (pictured above), who will be on campus as an official visitor.

Parker, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound senior in the class of 2023, is down to Clemson, Penn State, Texas A&M and Tennessee. Last week, he announced a commitment date of Nov. 21.

Clemson extended an offer to Parker on Aug. 11, after he decommitted from Penn State a couple days prior.

“I always wanted to say that Clemson offered,” Parker told The Clemson Insider shortly after being offered. “We’ve been talking for a little while and once I decommitted, some of the commits, some of my friends that I know — Peter Woods and (Christopher) Vizzina — they hit me up and they were like, ‘Bro, would you be interested in Clemson?’

“Are you kidding me? Of course!”

Since Clemson has re-entered the picture, what has defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall’s message been to Parker?

“He’s losing four guys (Xavier Thomas, KJ Henry, Myles Murphy and Justin Mascoll) this year to the NFL, so he needs players who are ready to come in and play early, play right away,” Parker said, “and he feels like I’m a guy that can do that. He’s gonna recruit me hard and I really like that and respect that — saying that the defensive room is open next year. That’s a great opportunity to go into.”

Parker, who went to Tennessee last weekend for its game against Alabama, was previously at Clemson on an unofficial visit for the Sept. 10 game vs. Furman.

He is ranked as high as the No. 6 defensive lineman and No. 44 overall prospect in the 2023 class by 247Sports.

A few other significant 2023 prospects slated to be on hand for Saturday’s game as unofficial visitors are Daniel High School (Central, S.C.) three-star athlete Misun Kelley, North Oconee (Bogart, Ga.) three-star athlete Khalil Barnes and North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) four-star defensive tackle Kayden McDonald.

Kelley received an offer from Clemson on Oct. 7, shortly after decommitting from Virginia Tech.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers offered the 5-foot-11, 177-pound senior as an athlete. According to Kelley, Clemson sees him as an electric, versatile weapon that can return punts, shut down opposing receivers and/or score touchdowns.

“Swinney had called me and told me that I had been balling on the field,” Kelley told TCI after scoring the offer. “He said that they were ready to 100% offer me. I’ve been talking to (wide receivers coach Tyler) Grisham and (defensive coordinator Wes) Goodwin too a lot.”

In addition to Clemson, Kelley mentioned schools like Virginia Tech, James Madison, Maryland, Oklahoma and Florida as those currently involved in his recruitment. He’s hoping to render a decision prior to December.

Barnes (6-1, 185) reopened his recruitment and decommitted from Wake Forest on Oct. 3.

Ever since Clemson offered Barnes on Sept. 22, he’s been in constant contact with Goodwin and co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Mickey Conn. He said that his conversations with Goodwin and Conn are more personable, that they don’t talk about football.

“I feel like I talk to him the most out of any coach from up there,” Barnes said to TCI of Conn. “I can call him, and we can probably talk about what I had for lunch and have a good conversation. He always lets me know that at Clemson, they really want me. He feels that I’m the guy that they need to have with this recruiting class. It’s good talks for sure.”

After this weekend’s unofficial visit, Barnes will make his way back to Clemson for the South Carolina game on Nov. 26 and take an official visit that weekend.

As far as a decision timeline is concerned, Barnes imagines that it’ll likely come close to the early signing period. He’s hoping to be a midyear enrollee and said that all the schools he’s been in contact with will be able to accommodate him on that.

As for McDonald, he announced a top five earlier this month featuring the Tigers along with Florida, Michigan, Oklahoma and Ohio State. He is ranked as high as the No. 193 overall prospect in the 2023 class by Rivals, which considers him the nation’s No. 8 defensive tackle in his class.

Clemson extended an offer to the 6-foot-3, 315-pounder in late May.

“It’s a blessing,” McDonald told TCI after receiving the offer. “Clemson’s a school that doesn’t really throw out a whole lot of offers. Clemson is a great, top-five program. In the last five years, they’ve won nattys. It’s a great program that doesn’t really throw out offers, so it’s a blessing to have an offer.”

The headliner among the 2024 prospects planning to be in attendance is Willis (Texas) five-star quarterback DJ Lagway.

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound junior is ranked as the No. 4 quarterback in the country and No. 25 overall prospect in the 2024 class, per the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Lagway dropped his top 10 schools last month, announcing he is down to Clemson, Arkansas, LSU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia, Southern Cal, Alabama and Baylor.

Clemson got him on campus for a pair of unofficial visits in April and June.

It didn’t come as a surprise when he included Swinney’s program as a part of his top schools. He recently went into detail with TCI about why the Tigers are one of his favorites.

“I’d say because of the atmosphere — the Christian-based atmosphere,” Lagway explained. “It’s just amazing. It’s different than any other school. I feel like that’s the reason why it sets Clemson apart.”

Some other standout prospects set to visit Clemson for Saturday’s game are Tuscaloosa County High School (Northport, Ala.) 2023 three-star athlete Sawyer Deerman, Vandegrift (Austin, Texas) 2024 four-star offensive lineman Blake Frazier, Pike Road (Ala.) 2024 three-star defensive end Malik Blocton, North Cobb (Kennesaw, Ga.) 2024 athlete David Eziomume, Carrollton (Ga.) 2026 quarterback Julian Lewis and Dillon (S.C.) 2026 quarterback Josiah Oxendine.

As always, visitor lists like this are fluid and subject to change. But as of Thursday morning, the prospects mentioned in this article are some of the bigger names TCI expects to be on hand Saturday in The Valley.

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!

2023 EDGE Tomarrion Parker includes Aggies in final four, sets announcement date

2023 EDGE Tomarrion Parker includes Aggies in final four, sets announcement date

Around here at Aggies Wire, there’s a saying we like to use whenever new recruiting news drops, and that’s “recruiting never stops” which is probably the most accurate statement in college football, especially in this day and age.

In the Aggies 2023 recruiting class, the offensive line has dominated so far, while the defensive line, cornerback, and linebacker positions have also been the recruiting focus. Adding to the emphasis of defensive recruiting for the maroon and white, 2023 EDGE Tommarion Parker out of Central High School in Phenix City, Alabama recently announced his “final four” teams ahead of his commitment announcement which is set for Nov. 21st.

Parker’s four teams include Clemson, Tennesee, Penn State, and Texas A&M, while he is presently favored landing with Clemson at 77.8% according to 247Sports Crystal Ball. Parker is also the 6th ranked defensive line prospect in the country and the 44th-ranked player nationally, and would immediately add to what is already a loaded defensive line group going into 2023, especially due to the recent commitment of 5-Star defensive lineman David Hicks.

Here is a scouting report for Tommarrion Parker from 247Sports National Recruiting Analyst Cooper Petagna:

Possesses prototypical size and length at 6-foot-4 and 250-pounds. Has the ability to add additional weight to his frame. Positioned the majority of snaps in a two-point stance in a stand-up pass rushing edge role.Displays good athletic ability and a natural ability to bend the edge. Smooth mover for his size. Plays with good initial foot and body quickness. Exhibits active hands at the point of attack. Has the ability to beat you with speed or power off the edge. Flashes good lateral quickness in space and shows some ability to drop. Closes space exceptionally well for size. Demonstrates good play strength at the point of attack and flashes some power in his hands off the edge.Projects to a pass rushing edge role in a 3-4 and with his hand in the dirt as a five technique in a 4-3 defense. Position projection will be heavily dependent on the defensive scheme. Arrow is pointing up as the game continues to slow down for him. Projects to high level impact starter at the next level for a Power Five program.

Head coach Jimbo Fisher is completely focused on finishing strong in the second half of Texas A&M’s 2022 season, but securing the commitment of Tomarrion Parker would really put his mind at ease going into 2023.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions.
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Priority DE target names Clemson among top teams, sets commitment date

One of Clemson’s top defensive end targets in the class of 2023 dropped his final four schools on Friday afternoon via social media. Phenix City (Ala.) Central High four-star Tomarrion Parker is down to Clemson, Penn State, Texas A&M and Tennessee. …

One of Clemson’s top defensive end targets in the class of 2023 dropped his final four schools on Friday afternoon via social media.

Phenix City (Ala.) Central High four-star Tomarrion Parker is down to Clemson, Penn State, Texas A&M and Tennessee. Parker also announced a commitment date of Nov. 21.

“I always wanted to say that Clemson offered,” Parker told The Clemson Insider shortly after being offered. “We’ve been talking for a little while and once I decommitted, some of the commits, some of my friends that I know — Peter Woods and (Christopher) Vizzina — they hit me up and they was like, ‘Bro, would you be interested in Clemson?’

“Are you kidding me? Of course!”

Since Clemson has re-entered the picture, what has defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall’s message been to Parker?

“He’s losing four guys (Xavier Thomas, KJ Henry, Myles Murphy and Justin Mascoll) this year to the NFL, so he needs players who are ready to come in and play early, play right away,” Parker said, “and he feels like I’m a guy that can do that. He’s gonna recruit me hard and I really like that and respect that — saying that the defensive room is open next year. That’s a great opportunity to go into.”

After receiving an offer from Clemson on Aug. 11, Parker set up two visits to Death Valley — an unofficial visit for the Furman game and an official visit for the Syracuse game on October 22.

Coming out of last month’s visit, Clemson appears to be in a great spot with Parker.

Parker is set to be in Tennessee this weekend.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjs4ATWsb-d/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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: Priority DE target update, visitor reactions and future visitor preview

It’s time for this week’s edition of The Insider Report. We hope everyone had a great weekend. Tomarrion Parker update After speaking with multiple sources, we wanted to pass along the latest we’ve been hearing on Clemson’s pursuit of Phenix City …

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

We hope everyone had a great weekend.

Tomarrion Parker update

After speaking with multiple sources, we wanted to pass along the latest we’ve been hearing on Clemson’s pursuit of Phenix City (Ala.) Central four-star defensive end Tomarrion Parker. 

It’s no secret that the returns from the prized pass rusher’s unofficial visit for Clemson’s 35-12 win over Furman on Saturday, Sept. 10, have been great. Currently, we can tell you that the Tigers feel relatively solid in their standing with Parker and certainly have a chance at landing his commitment. 

At the same time, Parker still has official visits lined up to Tennessee and Florida, in addition to the official visit he’ll be taking to Clemson for the weekend of Oct. 22, which coincides with the Tigers’ matchup against Syracuse.

In any event, Parker has become Clemson’s prized target and is said to be the team that’s been pursuing him the hardest. The former Penn State commit has other visits to take before he renders a solution on his college decision and while we feel good about where Clemson stands, Parker is not anywhere close to a final decision.

Initial visitors for the Clemson-N.C. State game

Clemson’s Oct. 1 matchup against N.C. State is lining up to be a big recruiting weekend for the Tigers.

The Clemson Insider has been able to confirm a partial guest list for what is looking like the premier in-season recruiting event for Clemson’s class of 2024 targets.

Here are some of those names:

Burlington (N.C.) Hugh M. Cummings four-star wide receiver Jonathan Paylor, Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley High four-star wide receiver Alex Taylor, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas four-star wide receiver James Madison II, Cass (Cartersville, Ga.) three-star wide receiver Sacovie White, Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Day School four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger and Hough (Cornelius, N.C.) kicker Nolan Hauser.

As for some unconfirmed juniors, Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day four-star defensive back Tavoy Feagin told The Clemson Insider that he will “most likely” be in attendance for the N.C. State game, while fast-rising quarterback Mason Fortune out of Millbrook (Raleigh, N.C) told us that he’s trying to work out a visit and it’s possible it could be for the State game.

Other names that will likely be in attendance are Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons 2023 WR Patrick Stepelton, Central (S.C.) D W Daniel 2023 WR Jaylen Brown-Wallace, Buford (Ga.) 2025 four-star linebacker Jadon Perlotte and Cass (Cartersville, Ga.) 2026 QB Brodie McWhorter.

There will certainly be more names that come to light and we will provide the necessary updates at a later time.

Big-time Peach State lineman high on Clemson after latest visit

It’s no secret that Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.) offensive lineman Cortez Smith likes Clemson. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound sophomore in the class of 2025 was on campus for Clemson’s 48-20 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday night, along with two of his teammates — one of them being a five-star athlete in Mike Matthews.

“It was amazing,” Smith told The Clemson Insider regarding his experience. “Especially the part where we got to see them run down the hill. It was so energetic. It was loud. It was a great game too. Clemson’s a great place.”

Did anything stand out about Clemson’s game-day environment?

“It’s got to be when they ran down the hill,” Smith explained “That’s the best part of the game right there. You could feel the energy (from the top of the hill). The whole crowd was cheering for them.”

Smith had the chance to speak with Clemson offensive line coach Thomas Austin before the game, as well as co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Mickey Conn.

Every time Smith sees Austin, their relationship seemingly gets better. He’s quickly become a primary target for Clemson in the class of 2025, even if he’ll have to likely wait until next June for that offer to come. With that said, Smith plans to pay Clemson plenty of more visits in the future.

Peach State receiver has ‘unbelievable’ visit to Clemson

A junior Peach State wide receiver on Clemson’s recruiting radar returned to campus this past weekend.

Johns Creek (Ga.) High School’s Kyle Vaka – whose sister actually goes to Clemson – was back in Tiger Town for Saturday’s game against Louisiana Tech.

TCI caught up with Vaka, who said the visit to Clemson and the night atmosphere at Death Valley “was unbelievable.”

“The crowd was incredible,” he said. “The lights, the scoreboard, the entrance – everything was electric and a really incredible and a great experience.”

Vaka had the chance to spend time with offensive player development coach Tajh Boyd, and Vaka and his father were able to eat dinner with receivers coach Tyler Grisham.

Vaka told TCI he “definitely” feels his relationship with Grisham grew stronger Saturday while talking about things beyond football.

“We just had some great conversations about not only football but what’s important in life – relationships, God, values and just building your life around that,” he 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 has traveled to Clemson a bunch of times. He made his way to campus for a couple of games last season, went to the spring game in April and camped at Clemson this summer for the second year in a row, not to mention a couple of other trips he has made to visit his sister.

Vaka intends to camp at Clemson again next summer. The 6-foot, 170-pounder also plans to get back on campus again this year and in the spring as well.

Prior to Saturday’s Clemson visit, Vaka went to Vanderbilt a week earlier for its game vs. Wake Forest. While he had a great experience at Vandy, he admitted “it’s hard to compare to Clemson.”

Vaka has 13 catches for 275 yards and two touchdowns through four games this season.

Promising QB prospect returns to Tiger Town

Clemson played host Saturday to a promising young 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 Louisiana Tech game.

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 Boyd.

“You always know, I always go back there and I love it,” Owens told TCI after Saturday’s visit. “Every time I go, it’s always a good experience.”

Owens played his freshman season 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.

As for what he heard from Streeter and Boyd on Saturday, Owens said, “They just asked how my season was going, and I said I’d let them know how I was doing, and they just told me to keep up the good work.”

Owens cited being around the coaches, taking in the environment again, going into the locker room after the game, and seeing how the players and coaches interact with each other as the best parts of his visit.

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

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.

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!