Under-the-radar Peach State gunslinger takes in Clemson visit

The Clemson Insider caught up with an under-the-radar quarterback prospect, who was on campus this past weekend for Clemson’s 48-27 win over Wake Forest. Calvary Day School (Savannah, Ga.) 2024 quarterback Jake Merklinger made the trip after being …

The Clemson Insider caught up with an under-the-radar quarterback prospect, who was on campus this past weekend for Clemson’s 48-27 win over Wake Forest.

Calvary Day School (Savannah, Ga.) 2024 quarterback Jake Merklinger made the trip after being invited by one of Clemson’s coaches, who saw his film and passed along the invitation to his head coach.

“It was amazing. There is a very family-like atmosphere,” Merklinger told TCI. “Going into the locker room pregame was really cool. I loved it. It definitely lived up to the hype.”

While on campus, Merklinger had a chance to speak with Clemson quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter and offensive analyst J.P. Losman.

“I got to talk to coach Losman and coach Streeter,” he said. “It was awesome. I liked them a lot.”

While Merklinger is only a sophomore, he stills holds offers from both Michigan State and Cincinnati. He referred to the recruiting process as “pretty sweet” and “very humbling.”

Merklinger believes his playstyle as a quarterback is still unwritten, right now he’s just focused on winning. That being said, he tries to model his game after that of Buffalo Bills and former University of Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen.

Calvary Day (12-0) will host Fellowship Christian (Roswell, Ga.) in Georgia’s high school football state quarterfinals on Friday, Nov. 26.

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