It didn’t take long for Omillio Agard to rave about his latest visit to Clemson.
After visiting campus earlier this summer and participating in the Dabo Swinney Camp, which helped him earn a coveted offer from the Tigers, the four-star cornerback out of Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph’s Prep, returned for Clemson’s first night game of the season in The Valley; a 48-20 win over Louisiana Tech.
“It was great,” Agard told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview Monday night. “It just made me want to go back again. I told the coaches that I want to go back and that I’m still there. It was great. I loved it. It was a family feel. It made me feel wanted and needed.”
With Agard being a top priority for Clemson and Mike Reed, it should come as no surprise that the Tigers laid out the red carpet for him and his father. Needless to say, it went above and beyond Agard’s expectations.
“They treated me like a player or like a commit, you could say,” he said. “I did everything everybody else did — even more…I was in the locker room. I was up on the hill when they ran down. I had to walk through the student section with all of them telling me to come to Clemson and showing love. It was amazing. Those were the things that really stood out.
Agard was one of a select few players to have a pregame meeting with Clemson coach Dabo Swinney. Swinney and his staff reiterated to the Philadelphia native just how much of a priority he is for the Tigers in the 2024 recruiting class.
“Coach Swinney said that this place is not for everybody,” Agard began as he explained Clemson’s message to him on Saturday. “It’s kind of similar to my school. That’s why I feel like the place fits me and that’s why they only offered four other DBs and I was the first one. It was a great feeling. I love Coach Swinney and what he’s doing and what he’s been doing for over a decade. He’s a great coach. He’s a great guy, very energetic, and somebody that I want to be coached by.”
Agard said that it was great to see Reed, who he described as being “ecstatic” and “hype.” His relationship with Clemson’s cornerbacks coach has been very tight going on two years now and he’s looking forward to keeping building on it.
“I’m getting closer (with Coach Reed) and he’s getting closer with my family and everybody,” Agard said. “Me getting closer with the players and the whole coaching staff is great. Me and Coach Swinney are very close. I appreciate him. I feel comfortable around him and he feels comfortable around me. It’s a great relationship.”
Being a cornerback himself, Agard keyed in on his own position group but also paid close attention to Reed during the 28-point win.
“I watched him practice with the guys and coach them in drills and stuff,” Agard said. “He’s a technician. He’s just like a trainer. If he wasn’t a DB coach, he’d be a trainer. I know he can prepare me for the next level, which would be the NFL. Their defense definitely fits me. They play a little bit of zone but are man corners and he’s gonna go tell you to guard somebody one-on-one and that’s my specialty. He can teach me all the different techniques and stuff that I don’t even know right now. I know he could take me to the next level as a player and a person.”
While Agard is coming off the high of a visit and things are always fluid when it comes to recruiting, there’s a reason why Clemson made his initial top-10 list. With that said, where does Clemson currently stand with Agard after his latest visit to campus?
“They’re definitely at the top of my list, with a couple of other schools,” he revealed, “ but, Clemson will always be at the top.”
“Clemson’s definitely a great fit,” Agard added. “It fits me. I see myself there.”
Agard said that he and his father would love to get back for another Clemson game day, but with him being nearly 700 miles away, it may be easier to conduct those visits after the season. Agard indicated that if he’s unable to get back down to Tiger Town this season, he’ll try to visit twice next summer.
Agard will be in attendance when the University of Tennessee plays host to the University of Alabama in Knoxville on Saturday, Oct. 15. Two weeks later, Agard will be in Ann Arbor for the Michigan-Michigan State game.
As far as a decision timeline is concerned, Agard said that he’ll definitely make a decision prior to his senior season. He plans on being an early enrollee, so the sooner he can render a college decision before January 2024, the better.
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