Late last week, Clemson played host to a major offensive line target that is close to making his decision.

Gibsonia (Pa.) Pine-Richland offensive tackle Andrew Kristofic spent all day Friday on campus with his mother, father and younger sister. It marked his first visit to Clemson.

“I loved it,” Kristofic told The Clemson Insider. “I came in with really high expectations for the visit, and they even exceeded those expectations. It was a fantastic visit.”

Kristofic and his family drove down on Thursday afternoon and arrived late that night. On Friday, Kristofic toured the campus and all of the football facilities as well as sat in on team meetings and watched the Tigers’ spring practice.

“It was nice getting to see coach Caldwell in his element coaching and in the film room and meeting room breaking things down, teaching and everything like that,” Kristofic said of offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell. “It was a super fun practice. It was real high energy. They had a coaching clinic there, so there were a couple hundred coaches there too, so they kind of put on a little show for those coaches. It was a shorter practice than normal, but definitely a lot more physical and high energy. It was a lot of fun to see.”

One of the things that impressed Kristofic most was the football operations complex.

“You can look up all the different pictures and virtual tours of the facility, but it really doesn’t do it justice until you go see it for yourself,” Kristofic said. “It’s brand new, and it shows. All the stuff that Clemson has been able to provide for the guys is unbelievable.”

Kristofic (6-6, 265) received an offer from Clemson at the beginning of February and has been in frequent communication with Caldwell since.

He spent most of Friday with Caldwell and also had a lengthy meeting with head coach Dabo Swinney that evening.

“He’s an awesome guy,” Kristofic said of Caldwell. “Super funny guy, too. He makes you laugh a lot.

“Towards the end of the day, after practice, we spent a long time talking with coach Swinney for about 45 minutes to an hour. He’s awesome. He’s a real high energy guy. It’s easy to see after talking to him why Clemson’s been able to have the success they have had in recent years.”

The academic prestige of Clemson was one Kristofic’s big takeaways from their conversations.

“The academic part of Clemson is very high as well, which is something I didn’t know a whole lot about going into the trip,” he said. “But they answered every question we possibly had.”

Clemson was the last visit Kristofic had planned. He previously visited Notre Dame in late March and has also made trips to Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Virginia Tech this year.

Kristofic said he is now preparing to render his college decision, which is expected to come sooner than later.

“Now it’s just looking back over everything and making sure I feel comfortable whenever I do make a decision,” Kristofic said. “So, it’s really just in the decision making process now.”

The schools Kristofic has visited comprise the main group under consideration.

Notre Dame was perceived to be the distant frontrunner following his visit there on March 27. But Clemson certainly registered a strong final impression and gave him a lot to think about with the decision looming.

“That’s definitely up there with the best of them,” Kristofic said of the Clemson visit. “It was an unbelievable time.”