Joseph Stone is listed as an athlete by the major recruiting services, and an athlete he truly is.
The versatile four-star class of 2024 prospect has played all over the field for Grayson High School (Loganville, Ga.) during his sophomore season this fall. Quarterback is the lone position Stone is playing right now, but he has also seen action at defensive back, slot receiver and outside receiver in addition to returning kicks and even handling the punting duties.
“My season has been kind of wild,” Stone told The Clemson Insider recently. “I’ve had to play multiple positions throughout the season. I’ve had to adjust to a lot of things. I’ve had to help a lot of people. So, my season has definitely been a growing experience so far.”
Plenty of schools have taken notice of Stone’s all-around talent and athletic ability. The 6-foot, 180-pound sophomore has already collected close to 20 offers, including power conference offers from Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Michigan, Penn State, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Indiana, Minnesota and Utah.
Stone could line up on either side of the ball at the next level.
“I have multiple offers for receiver and I have multiple offers for defensive back,” he said, “and I have offers of me just having a relationship with the coach, just being able to talk to them and tell them how I want to play when I get to that level.”
Clemson, of course, doesn’t offer sophomores. But the Tigers have shown interest in Stone, and he has a strong bond with safeties coach Mickey Conn – the former longtime head coach at Grayson.
“Coach Conn is really where my relationship is the most because I go to Grayson High School and he was the head coach at Grayson High School,” Stone said. “So, me and him definitely bond when I’m up there, and we just have that same type of workaholic in us.”
Stone was on campus at Clemson for the Dabo Swinney Camp this past June and worked out at both DB and receiver. The coaches gave him positive feedback about his camp performance while also giving him pointers to help improve his game.
“It was a lot of things they told me that they loved, and it was also some things they told me I could work on, and that’s always what I try to take in the most,” Stone said. “I always want to get better.”
What stands out the most to Stone about Clemson when he looks back on the camp visit?
“One thing that I did take away from the visit is how focused – like, Clemson is a place of very intense focus,” he said. “Clemson is also a fun place, and one thing I do love about Clemson is everything is there. It’s not really a big city, but Clemson has everything you need to be successful and everything that you’re going to want, and everything is just there at Clemson. You really don’t have to go anywhere else, and that’s one thing I love because there’s really no distractions at Clemson.”
Stone has made multiple visits this season, checking out games at schools such as Georgia, Florida State and Michigan, while he plans to visit Florida soon. Returning to Clemson for another visit at some point, he said, is “definitely something I’m trying to do.”
It’s still early in Stone’s recruiting process, though some schools have started to separate themselves from the pack of suitors in his recruitment.
“I am taking everything in and I’m trying to take it slow, but there are some schools that definitely stepped out and some schools that I definitely have a lot of lean towards,” he said.
Clemson is a school that Stone is really high on, if not the highest on, as things presently stand.
“The Tigers actually are my top school right now, although I don’t have an offer from them,” he said. “I already have that relationship built in. He definitely pushes me to be a better person. So, that relationship definitely is there.”
Stone is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 12 athlete and No. 68 overall prospect in the 2024 class.
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