In the Hanson family, passion for Clemson runs deep.
Paul Hanson and his wife, Renee, both graduated from Clemson in 1989. Paul’s youngest brother is a Clemson alumnus, as well, as is Renee’s brother.
Paul and Renee’s three sons are, as you would expect, Clemson fans. So, as you can imagine, the Hanson household was rocking on Jan. 9 when the Tigers won the national championship.
“All of the kids came over,” Paul told The Clemson Insider. “My two older ones are married, but we all got together and watched it on the big screen. It was crazy. Extreme highs one minute, extreme lows the next, and then everybody was jumping around and hugging and screaming.”
For the Hansons, the Dabo Swinney Football Camp has become sort of a tradition.
Paul’s older son Mitch attended the camp when he was in high school before going on to play football at Liberty University, where he was a three-year starter, Big South all-conference performer and academic All-American.
Paul’s youngest son, Jesse, has camped at Clemson since he was in grade school. This year marks the sixth straight year that the 2019 offensive lineman from Daleville, Va. (Lord Botetourt High) has competed at the Swinney Camp.
“It’s kind of surreal, really,” Paul said. “We went through it with my older son. Coach (Brad) Scott was the coach then, so we got exposed to a little bit then. But it’s cool. Everywhere I go, there are memories from when I was here and met my wife. No way I could have known back then that I would be back here with my son, watching him play.”
Jesse (6-4, 290) is on the recruiting radar of Power Five conference programs. He has built a relationship with Clemson offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell at the camp over the years and is receiving substantial interest from the Tigers.
Jesse earned his first Power Five offers from Iowa State and Virginia in May, while other schools such as Penn State, Virginia Tech, Appalachian State and East Carolina are expressing interest as well.
Along with the Swinney Camps, Jesse has visited Clemson multiple times as a recruit, including for the Syracuse game last season and the Orange & White spring game in April.
A 4.0-GPA student, Jesse is looking for the right fit for him personally, academically and athletically. Should he get an offer from Clemson in the future, it would certainly be a special accomplishment for him and his family.
“He’s just grown up watching them,” Paul said. “He’s grown up in a Clemson home, so when Clemson’s on TV, everything else shuts down. We come to the games. We watch them on TV and we come down for ball games. He loves Dabo. He loves the stuff coach Dabo says, so it would be like a childhood dream.”