Clemson played host to the teammate of four-star offensive tackle commit, Ian Reed, on Tuesday.
2024 offensive tackle Blake Fraizer, who also hails from Vandegrift (Austin, TX.) made his way to campus for the first time and recapped his experience in an exclusive phone interview with The Clemson Insider on Wednesday morning.
“It was a really fun time,” Frazier said. “All the coaches started off with their All-In meetings yesterday. We just kind of went in there and Coach (Thomas) Austin introduced me to a bunch of coaches. Everyone was super welcoming, it was a really cool feeling. Everyone was walking up, shaking my hand and just introducing themselves. It was a really cool welcome.”
Frazier said that the interest in visiting Clemson “definitely started” with Reed, but once he learned more about the program, it was definitely an interest for him as well.
“Ian talks about it all the time, how the culture is just unlike any other he’s ever seen,” Frazier said. “I think that definitely sparked an interest.”
Frazier got to experience Clemson’s culture for himself Tuesday. When asked what stood out to him the most about his visit, Frazier didn’t hesitate to say that it was the culture of Dabo Swinney’s program.
“It’s definitely a family atmosphere,” he said. “All the coaches were highly praising each other. They all seemed to love each other. It wasn’t like they were just colleagues. They love and enjoy working together.”
Frazier admitted that it was kind of tough finding time to spend with the coaches because they had their All-In meetings Tuesday. However, every free second they had open, one of the coaches was asking him to come to lunch or grab an ice cream and just making sure they made time for him.
That includes Austin, who will serve as Fraizer’s primary recruiter going forward.
“Coach Austin is an amazing guy,” Frazier said of Clemson’s offensive line coach. “He’s just very down-to-earth. He knows what he’s talking about. He’s a family man at heart, absolutely. He talked about his four kids a bunch and his wife (Margaret) and just how everyone on staff enjoys family as much as he does. He’s a really, really cool guy.”
Clemson isn’t the only school to jump into the Lone Star State offensive lineman’s recruitment, which has taken off since the spring. He picked up his first offer from UTSA back in April and has since added Colorado, Michigan and Texas A&M to his growing list.
Frazier had a chance to camp at Michigan, LSU, Texas A&M and Alabama this summer, adding offers from two of the schools mentioned. In addition to visiting Clemson Tuesday, he’ll be at the University of Colorado on Thursday, July 28.
“A bunch of college coaches have asked me about it and I just kind of tell them the same thing,” Frazier said regarding his current recruitment. “I was just kind of prepared for, ‘OK, let’s get a good first four games in the books, send out some film and see what happens,’ but then all the coaches started showing up in spring ball for Ian. I was like, ‘This is gonna happen now.’ And I kind of got thrown into it, but I’m learning a lot about it. It’s definitely been fun, but something I’ve had to figure out how to navigate.”
Colorado is the last visit Frazier will make before the start of his junior campaign. From there, it’s back to work and getting ready for the season ahead. As far as visits this upcoming season go, Frazier, did mention possibly taking in a game day visit at Memorial Stadium this fall with Reed, but hasn’t committed to any dates just yet.
“They definitely mentioned it,” Frazier said regarding a potential game day visit. “They weren’t pushing it super hard, but that was because they wanted me to feel that I wanted to be back. A bunch of coaches talked to me and it’s definitely something that I’m interested in. I have to figure it all out with timing and stuff, but it’s definitely something that’s interesting to me.”
Right now, his focus is on the season ahead, with the expectation of playing at AT&T Stadium in December. That’s their goal headed into every year, but with the offensive line Vandegrift has this season — Frazier at right tackle and Reed cemented on the left side — they have a great chance of playing deep into the playoffs.
“Our offensive line (this) year is going to be a force to reckon with for sure,” he said. “We’re gonna have one of the biggest, if not the biggest offensive line in Vandegrift history. It’s gonna be really, really fun playing with those guys and I’m really excited about it.”
“I’m a tough player,” Frazier said when asked to describe himself as a player. “I’m a hard worker. I have fun with it. I’m not gonna be intimidated on the field. Everybody’s always talking about a game day atmosphere; when I hit that field it’s like everything else is out of my head and it’s go time. I’m all out every play and you’re not gonna see me slacking.”
Had an unreal experience at Clemson the past couple days. Thanks so much to all of the coaching staff and players for making it so memorable. Can’t wait to be back! @Coach__TA @ClemsonFB pic.twitter.com/6b3qxGLUJX
— Blake Frazier (@_BlakeFrazier) July 27, 2022
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