Tag: Zechariah Owens

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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‘I love everything about the school’: Big-time Peach State OL set to return to Clemson

This big-time offensive lineman who many refer to as “Flapjack” will be at Clemson’s Junior Day come March 5, he confirmed to The Clemson Insider in an exclusive phone interview Monday. Eagles Landing Christian (Mcdonough, Ga.) four-star Zechariah …

This big-time offensive lineman who many refer to as “Flapjack” will be at Clemson’s Junior Day come March 5, he confirmed to The Clemson Insider in an exclusive phone interview Monday.

Eagles Landing Christian (Mcdonough, Ga.) four-star Zechariah Owens has been on the phone recently with Thomas Austin. He’s kept in contact with Clemson’s offensive line coach since and they’re building a relatively strong relationship.

“Basically, the way he teaches his program, I’m really gonna like it and he can’t wait for me to come up,” Owens said regarding what he’s been hearing from Austin. “He said when I get up there, we’re gonna probably evaluate some film, looking at everything and see the way I play.”

Austin has been in contact with Owens since January when he first started to stop by Eagles Landing during the live period.

“He would come to the school, really wanting to talk to me,” Owens said. “I told him that I was very interested in (Clemson), based on the last time I went to the camp. 

“He actually takes his time to talk to me. This past Thursday night, he called me while he was out with his family just to talk to me and stuff like that. I could hear his kids in the back and he said, ‘Hey this is Big Zack,’ and I could hear them in the background laughing. I can tell that he’s really starting a family, so the fact that I can see that he cares as much about his players as he does his family is really what stands out to me because that’s what I’m looking for in a college.”

Owens participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp this past summer. At the time, Robbie Caldwell was still Clemson’s offensive line coach, but Austin was shadowing him. He recalled his “really good” experience, in which both coaches told him he was a very good player. 

Owens dominated at the camp and in his own words, he did what he had to do. While he didn’t win every rep, he only lost two during the whole camp.

“They liked how I came back and worked,” he said. “It felt like a home feeling when I went there. They took really good care of me and my teammates. I actually liked how they teach us, so we can go back in, bring what they taught us into our actual game, which I did throughout the year and the season.”

The moral of the story for Owens across his junior campaign was being able to shed some weight. He was pushing 380 pounds and was able to get down to about 350.

“I took what they taught me at the camp, every little fine detail they gave me at the camp, I just put it in my game and it paid off,” Owens added.

Owens — a 6-7, 350-pound junior — describes himself as mostly a run-protection type of guy, but he’ll play anywhere on the field where he’s needed. At his stature, Owens is obviously a tackle. He primarily played the right side for Eagles Landing this past season.

As far as a decision timeline is concerned, he would like to be committed prior to the first game of his senior season. He wants to commit to his next home on his grandmother’s birthday, as he prepares to lock in before his final season of high school football.

In addition to Clemson, Owens plays on visiting Florida State, Georgia Southern and Buffalo.

When Owens visits Clemson in just 10 days, he’s looking to get a tour of the campus and see what it would be like to live on campus. He wants to get the full experience and see a day in the life of a college athlete and see what it would be like to be a student-athlete at Clemson.

Of course, he has prior experiences in The Valley, but he’ll get to see a little more behind the scenes this time around.

“It’s a home feeling,” he said of Clemson. “I love South Carolina in general, but the fact that there’s a good college there, speaking of Clemson, I love it. I love everything about the school and the community.”

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