Even before midnight struck on Sept. 1, when college coaches across the country could have direct contact with junior prospects, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney had a scheduled call with a priority safety prospect in the class of 2024.
According to Troup County (Lagrange, Ga.) head coach Tanner Glisson, Swinney spoke with junior four-star safety Noah Dixon, who Clemson offered back on June 1.
“I just think those guys have definitely shown a very strong interest and he’s been up there before on campus and made relationships with coaches,” Glisson told The Clemson Insider Wednesday. “I think it’s a situation that he sees that fits him really well in what he’s looking for. I think he’s pretty excited about potentially looking at them as being the school that he goes to.”
Glisson thinks that Swinney’s willingness to set up a call with Dixon just hours before Clemson could directly reach out shows just how much of a priority he is to them.
“I think it’s showing a big-time priority,” Glisson said. “I know Coach (Mickey) Conn will be at our game this Friday. Obviously, he can only pick one game to go to pretty much and coming right out of the gate in the contact period, he’s choosing to come to Troup to watch him play. I think that immediately shows that he’s a high priority for (them).”
Dixon will be in attendance for Clemson’s season opener against Georgia Tech on Monday night, but Glisson said that it will be on the Yellow Jackets’ dime. It’s pretty convenient for Dixon with the game being at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, as Georgia Tech is another school that’s recruiting Dixon hard.
“It’s kind of a win-win for Georgia Tech and Clemson,” he said.
Dixon will almost certainly get up to Tiger Town for a game day visit at Memorial Stadium this fall. Glisson said that he spoke with Clemson’s co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach on the phone Wednesday and that they’re already looking at some dates to get him up there.
“Absolutely. 100%. He and Noah kind of mesh pretty well,” Glisson said of Conn. “They have similar personalities. They have similar belief systems. I think they mesh really, really good.”
“Noah’s mama was able to go up when he visited up at Clemson,” Glisson added. “I think Coach Conn and Coach Swinney and all those guys made a really good impression on mama. And Coach Hall as well. Lemanski Hall is from Lannett, Alabama, which is only 15 minutes from here. They have tremendous presence where we are.”
Conn, who will be in attendance for Troup County’s game against Callaway High School on Friday, will have a chance to watch Dixon, who is off to a great start to his junior campaign in just his second season of high school football.
“He’s played really well,” Glisson said of Dixon. “We’re off to a 2-0 start. I think the thing about it is, that he has a touchdown pass and a two-point conversion — that he caught playing wide receiver. But, from a defensive standpoint, he’s got several tackles. A lot of teams are just not throwing in his direction. They see him on one side of the field and they choose to go the other way, which is a good thing for us, as far as having somebody who takes away half the field. He’s gotten off to a good start. He’s gotten better and better. The thing is, he has all this year, plus another year. So, we’re looking for big things.”
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