One of Clemson’s marquee summer recruiting events is here. A huge month for Clemson recruiting kicks off today as the first high school session of the Dabo Swinney Football Camp gets underway.
The Tigers are set to host a significant number of top prospects over the next two weeks, with recruits in the classes of 2019, 2020 and beyond expected to be in town. The first session starts Tuesday afternoon and ends Thursday, while the second session will take place next Tuesday through Thursday (June 12-14).
Most of the visitors will compete in the camp, and a number of those will be prospects in the 2019 class that Clemson is evaluating for potential scholarship offers. But there will also be some established targets who stop by during the camp solely to visit and tour the campus and facilities.
One recruit expected to visit on Wednesday but not work out is Lawrenceville (Ga.) Archer four-star safety Jalyn Phillips (pictured above). Phillips announced a top five of Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma, Southern Cal and Tennessee this past weekend, and has set his commitment date for Aug. 20.
All of the aforementioned schools have offered Phillips except Clemson, though he remains a candidate to get a Clemson offer. If the Tigers pull the trigger, it would be a game-changer for Phillips, who has visited Clemson numerous times and is very high on the program.
A bus tour group of prospects from Florida is expected to swing by and check out Clemson on Tuesday. The headliner among them is Apopka (Fla.) Wekiva four-star defensive tackle Tyler Davis, who picked up an offer from Clemson in February. The staff has made him a priority in the 2019 class, and defensive tackles coach Todd Bates paid a visit to his school last month. He also holds offers from Ohio State, Miami, Florida State, Georgia and Penn State, among others.
The Swinney Camp will play a pivotal role in Clemson’s offensive line recruiting for the 2019 class, as the Tigers will use the camp to evaluate several O-linemen and to help determine the direction for its pursuits at the position moving forward.
A couple of O-linemen who have Clemson offers will return to campus Tuesday in Pensacola (Fla.) teammates Adrian Medley and Hunter Rayburn. The pair of 2019 prospects has a combined total of more than three dozen offers, with mutual offers from schools such as Texas A&M, Florida State, Mississippi State, Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Miami. Medley and Rayburn previously visited Clemson together in early March, when the Tigers offered Medley. Rayburn received an offer from Clemson last month.
Among the 2019 O-linemen slated to camp at Clemson this week in hopes of earning an offer are Charleston (S.C.) Hanahan’s Cooper Dawson, Roebuck (S.C.) Dorman tackle John Gelotte and Cumming (Ga.) North Forsyth tackle Jeremy James. Dawson will compete at the full opening session and could also work out at other positions including defensive end. Gelotte will work out Tuesday, and James will compete Wednesday.
One O-linemen on the Tigers’ radar who won’t be working out but could visit during the camp is Chatsworth (Ga.) North Murray tackle Luke Griffin. The one-time Georgia commitment suffered an ACL tear in each knee last year and hasn’t yet been fully cleared to play, but told TCI he may still visit. Griffin attended Clemson’s spring game in April and cites offers from Alabama and Florida.
A couple of other noteworthy 2019 prospects planning to camp for the full first session are Huntington (W.V.) tight end Bryce Damous and North Charleston (S.C.) Garrett Academy defensive tackle Dal’Mont Gourdine. Damous has offers from Morgan State and Tennessee Tech, with Louisville, Marshall, Ohio and Cincinnati showing interest along with Clemson. Gourdine visited Clemson twice in April and picked up his first Power Five offer from Nebraska last month.
Several top 2020 prospects are expected to camp this week, including Hartsville (S.C.) four-star defensive tackle Demonte Capehart (full first session), Alpharetta (Ga.) Denmark wide receiver Ze’Vian Capers (Tuesday) and Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier four-star offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. (Thursday). All three own Clemson offers.
Some of the other notable 2020 recruits planning to camp this week are Madison (Fla.) County offensive tackle Zane Herring; Duncan (S.C.) Byrnes running back Rahjai Harris; Barnwell (S.C.) offensive lineman Briggs Kearse; Buford (Ga.) cornerback Jalen Huff; and Dallas (Texas) Highland Park quarterback Chandler Morris, the son of Arkansas head coach and former Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris.
Clemson will also play host to plenty of standout prospects during the second session next week. A few of the headliners will be Oxford (Ala.) five-star offensive lineman Clay Webb, Bellflower (Calif.) linebacker Spencer Lytle and River Rouge (Mich.) defensive end Ruke Orhorhoro.
Among the top 2020 prospects expected to visit next week are Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco five-star quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei; Powder Springs (Ga.) Hillgrove four-star defensive end Myles Murphy; Orange Park (Fla.) Oakleaf four-star offensive tackle Jalen Rivers; Washington (D.C.) St. John’s College High School four-star cornerback Luke Hill; and Fort Valley (Ga.) Peach County four-star linebacker Sergio Allen.
As always, visitor lists are fluid and subject to change. We will keep you updated on any additions to or scratches from the list.
Stay tuned to TCI as we will have the Swinney Camp covered in full over the next two weeks.