After visiting Clemson in the spring and receiving an offer from the Tigers, Fort Valley (Ga.) Peach County four-star linebacker Sergio Allen returned to campus this week for the Dabo Swinney Camp.
Swinney himself served as the top highlight of the visit for Allen, a top-100 prospect in the class of 2020.
“I think the biggest highlight was talking one-on-one with Dabo and getting to know each other’s background story and who we are and just talking about stuff — not even football, we were just talking,” Allen told The Clemson Insider.
“Some other highlights were being able to meet new players like Mike (Jones), Xavier (Thomas), Shaq (Smith), and Dexter (Lawrence), and spending time with Coach V (Brent Venables) and Coach (Todd) Bates. It was all-around great.”
Allen (6-2, 215) participated in Wednesday’s camp workouts after arriving to Clemson on Tuesday evening.
He received plenty of coaching and attention from Venables, who let him know he’s a priority target for the Tigers in the next recruiting cycle.
“He told me that I’m at the top of the board for 2020,” Allen said. “He said I fit in perfect for Clemson, not only for football but the way I handle myself on and off the field.”
Allen picked up an offer from Clemson during his previous visit to campus in late March. He also competed at the Swinney Camp last summer and visited for the Auburn game in the fall.
Venables and Bates have built a strong relationship with the rising junior recruit. Bates, his area recruiter, paid a pair of visits to his school during the spring evaluation period.
“We’re very tight,” Allen said. “I think very highly of them as coaches and as husbands. It says a lot about how they carry and handle themselves. Nothing but respect.”
Allen has collected a dozen scholarship offers overall, including offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, Michigan, Ole Miss, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt along with Clemson.
He is shooting to make his college decision by the summer before his senior year, possibly as early as his junior year.
Did the latest Clemson visit help the Tigers’ chances of landing his commitment?
“I think every visit does with them,” he said.
Allen said he is planning to visit Clemson again with his mother and others. He has camped at Georgia and South Carolina this summer as well, and will be at Miami on Saturday and Tennessee on June 23.
As a sophomore last season, Allen helped lead Peach County to the Class 3A state title game while logging 104 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, two sacks, seven quarterback hurries, one pass deflection, a fumble recovery and an interception.
He is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 3 inside linebacker and No. 93 overall prospect in the 2020 class.
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