When Clemson offered four-star offensive lineman Jakai Moore on Thursday, the news didn’t come as a shock.

Still, the Nokesville (Va.) Patriot standout was every bit as excited as if he didn’t know it was coming.

“Clemson has been talking to me for a long time, and last week coach (Brent) Venables said that he was going to offer me next week, which is this week,” Moore told The Clemson Insider. “So it wasn’t really a surprise.

“But just knowing that I have (an offer from) one of the top football programs in the country, that’s just amazing. It’s a great feeling.”

Robbie Caldwell stopped by Moore’s school to extend the offer and later spoke with him on the phone.

Moore (6-5, 295) said Clemson’s offensive line coach views him as an offensive tackle.

“I talked to coach Caldwell, and he said that their left tackle (Mitch Hyatt) is graduating next year,” Moore said. “So, he said I could come and fill in immediately.”

Moore has never visited Clemson but now plans to do so after picking up the offer.

“I just want to see the atmosphere, the type of people around there, how comfortable I am with the coaches and the players if they’re there,” he said.

Clemson’s offer marks the 21st in total for Moore, whose list features Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Florida State, Miami, South Carolina, Southern Cal and others.

Moore says he doesn’t have an official group of top schools at this time, but feels a few are recruiting him the hardest.

“Honestly, I feel like it’s kind of too early to say,” he said of favorites. “But there are schools like Penn State, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Ohio State — they’re talking to me constantly and wanting me to come to their school. Obviously if they’re going to keep talking to me like that, it stands out. But there’s no list.”

Moore has no timetable for his decision, though he wants to narrow things down this summer.

How do the Tigers stack up in his recruitment after offering?

“Clemson, they’re probably going to stand high, I’m not even going to lie to you,” Moore said. “They are Clemson, you know. It’s Clemson.

“They’re always able to win. It’s not on and off years; it’s constant. Year after year, they’re able to be a winning program and do the things that they do.”

Moore doesn’t have any visits scheduled currently but is looking to check out schools such as Boston College, Pittsburgh, Louisville and Miami along with Clemson. So far this year, he has been to Ohio State, Penn State, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Maryland and West Virginia.

ESPN ranks Moore as the No. 1 offensive lineman in Virginia and No. 16 offensive guard nationally for the 2019 class.