Clemson made a strong impression this past season while playing host to a talented prospect from the Yellowhammer State.
Bay Minette (Ala.) Baldwin County defensive end Albany Casey visited Death Valley for the Syracuse game and was wowed by his first experience on campus.
“What stood out most to me is the family part of it,” Casey said of Clemson. “Dabo Swinney just seems like a perfect coach to play for. He seems like he really loves his players. It was a really phenomenal visit to take in. It was a lot to take in. I had never experienced anything like it. There’s nothing like Clemson. It was just crazy, the atmosphere with all the amazing fans and amazing student body.”
The class of 2020 prospect also made several trips to Alabama last season but said the visits weren’t on par with the one he made to Clemson.
“The atmosphere was amazing and the facilities were great,” Casey said of Clemson. “The first bigger college I went to was Alabama and Alabama set the bar at first. I was very impressed with Alabama, but when I went to Clemson it was more of a family type of organization. I just seemed to enjoy it way more and could imagine myself being there a little bit more than Bama. The coaches, they just seemed to have this type of connection to the players there. I liked that a lot about the organization.”
The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Casey has collected offers from Nebraska, Duke, Indiana and Kansas as well as some smaller schools such as UCF, Troy, Southern Miss and UAB.
Clemson defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall has expressed interest in Casey and serves as his area recruiter. He has been keeping in contact with both Hall and defensive tackles coach Todd Bates.
Casey missed most of last season while recovering from a meniscus tear he suffered last spring but says he is back to feeling 100 percent. In 2017 as a sophomore, Casey had a big year for Baldwin County, recording 76 tackles, 30 for a loss and 13 sacks.
“He said he likes my explosion,” Casey said of Hall. “I didn’t have that much film this year because I had just come back from injury. I only played four and a half games, and he wanted me to get more film and he wanted to see me play a little bit more.
“He said he loves my explosiveness, loves my drive, my motor I have. He said I’m definitely at the right weight right now. He said he likes everything about me, but I believe he just wants me to get up there and see the campus a little bit more.”
Casey was invited to visit Clemson for another game besides Syracuse last season but was unable to make the trip. He hopes to return to campus this spring.
Casey, the No. 1 defensive end from Alabama and No. 14 weak-side defensive end nationally according to 247Sports, cited Nebraska as the school recruiting him the hardest right now. He hadn’t been to any schools this offseason but was slated to visit Mississippi State this weekend.
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