Clemson and Ohio State, who will meet in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31, are two of the schools recruiting Thomson (Ga.) five-star cornerback Christian Tutt the hardest.

The Clemson Insider recently spoke with Tutt about his season and the latest in his recruitment.

Tutt and Thomson High are set to face off against five-star quarterback and priority Clemson target Trevor Lawrence’s Cartersville squad on Saturday in the Georgia Class 4A semifinals at the Georgia Dome.

“We had a lot of accomplishments, and a lot of goals going into the season,” Tutt told TCI. “We accomplished a lot of them. We have one more to go, but we put in a lot of hard work through the summer and through the season. Been grinding a lot, so a lot of that hard work has been paying off, and hopefully it’s going to carry us even more on Saturday.”

Tutt, who received an offer from Clemson in May 2015, has over 30 other offers to his name.

The shutdown corner saw teams shy away from throwing the ball his way this season, but he still recorded four interceptions, including one that he returned for a touchdown. He also scored several touchdowns on kickoffs and punt returns.

“They didn’t really throw the ball a lot to my side, but I feel like the season went really well,” Tutt said. “I got four interceptions, took one back to the house, a couple touchdowns on kick return, a couple touchdowns on punt return and a lot of tackles. So, I think this season went really good.”

Tutt’s offer sheet includes Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Southern Cal, Texas A&M and UCLA.

In late August, Tutt included Clemson in a list of his top 11 schools that he released on Twitter. Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Southern Cal, Texas A&M and UCLA also made his cut.

In addition to Ohio State and Clemson, Tutt is hearing the most from Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Florida State and Southern Cal among others.

Tutt said Ohio State is a school that stands out to him. He has built a good relationship with Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs and defensive coordinator Greg Schiano, and he is a fan of the Buckeyes’ defensive scheme.

“I’m hearing the most from Ohio State,” Tutt said. “I talk to them every day.”

“I love their defensive scheme,” he added. “They play a lot of corners, they play nickel-safety, they play a lot of corners on the field, and they have a nose for the ball. I think coach Coombs is one of the best in the game at teaching the players and developing them for the NFL.”

Tutt said he talks to Clemson defensive backs coach Mike Reed a lot, as well. Clemson has expressed to Tutt that he would have an opportunity for early playing time at Clemson.

“I hear from coach Reed a lot,” Tutt said. “(He talks about) me coming in and playing a little early, getting my feet wet.”

Reed has also visited Tutt at his school a couple of times.

“It does feel good, them coming to my school a couple of times,” Tutt said. “Kind of makes me think they want me a little bit more than I thought they did.”

Tutt is high on Clemson and said the school is “definitely” in good standing with him. He plans to take one of his official visits to Clemson next year, and he also plans to get back to Clemson in the spring after first visiting campus for the Tigers’ game against Florida State during the 2015 season.

“It will definitely be one of my official visits coming up next year,” Tutt said. “I’ll take another visit up there in the spring.”

Tutt is looking forward to talking to Reed and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney again in person as well as seeing Clemson’s new $55 football complex that is expected to be completed in January.

“Ready to check out how they’re doing with the new facility,” Tutt said, “and ready to talk to Dabo and coach Reed, just get a feel for it and see how it goes.”

What does he like about Clemson overall?

“I like their defense, and they’re one of the top teams in the country every year,” Tutt said. “I like the way they battle and keep fighting. I like the way coach Reed teaches his DBs, too. I like their defense scheme as well.”

This season, Tutt visited Notre Dame for its game against Michigan State, Georgia for its game against Louisiana Lafayette and Alabama for its game against Auburn.