A major recruiting weekend in Clemson is upon us as many of the nation’s best prospects will make their way to Death Valley for Saturday’s Orange & White spring game.
The visitor list is co-headlined by the top-ranked offensive and defensive players in the country, five-star quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei of Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco and five-star defensive lineman Bryan Bresee of Damascus (Md.).
Uiagalelei arrived to Clemson on Wednesday with several family members including both parents and his brother. They will be on campus until Sunday for what amounts to a five-day visit, and it is a particularly significant visit for Uiagalelei’s mother as it marks her first time on campus.
Uiagalelei released a top schools list in December that included Clemson along with Oregon, Oklahoma, LSU, Alabama and Georgia, while Bresee announced a top six in November comprised of Clemson, Alabama, Michigan, Georgia, Ohio State and Penn State.
Both Uiagalelei and Bresee visited Clemson for the South Carolina game in the fall, so this will be their second time on campus together.
The touted duo will be joined on campus Saturday by a few other five-star recruits including Lakeland (Fla.) running back Demarkcus Bowman, Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian Academy cornerback Fred Davis and Woodbridge (Va.) linebacker Antoine Sampah.
Bowman also made a visit to Clemson at the end of March and told The Clemson Insider afterward that the Tigers had taken over as his leader. Clemson extended an offer to Bowman in late January when he was on campus for the program’s elite junior day.
Davis attended the elite junior day as well after receiving an offer from Clemson in December. Ohio State and Florida are other schools heavily involved in his recruitment.
Sampah, meanwhile, is working with a top eight of Clemson, Florida State, West Virginia, Alabama, Florida, Penn State, North Carolina and Oregon.
The Tigers will also welcome back one of the Lone Star State’s top prospects to campus this weekend in Southlake (Texas) Carroll four-star defensive back R.J. Mickens. Mickens, the nation’s No. 1 safety according to the 247Sports Composite, previously visited Clemson for the Tigers’ junior day in March. A couple of days later, he announced a top 11 that included Clemson, Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Florida, Nebraska and Miami.
Uiagalelei won’t be the only prospect from California at Clemson this weekend as Folsom four-star running back Daniyel Ngata will be on campus as well. Ngata, the younger brother of Clemson freshman receiver Joe Ngata, picked up an offer from the Tigers last month.
A host of other four-star prospects are slated to attend Saturday’s spring game as well, including but not limited to Miami (Fla.) Central cornerback Henry Gray and cornerback teammate Jalen Harrell; Phenix City (Ala.) Central wide receiver E.J. Williams; Norfolk (Va.) Maury receiver KeAndre Lambert; Highland Springs (Va.) safety Malcolm Greene; Charlotte (N.C.) Mallard Creek linebacker Trenton Simpson; Seffner (Fla.) Armwood defensive tackle Clyde Pinder; and Rockledge (Fla.) athlete Ladarius Tennison, a Miami commit.
A number of talented class of 2021 and 2022 recruits are expected to be on hand for the spring game as well, including Chandler (Ariz.) 2021 defensive tackle Brandon Buckner, the son of former Clemson great Brentson Buckner.
See below for the full list of prospects that TCI has confirmed are planning to visit for the spring game. As always, these lists are dynamic and subject to change. We will keep you posted on any additions or scratches.
2020 Prospects
D.J. Uiagalelei, QB, Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco
Bryan Bresee, DL, Damascus (Md.)
Fred Davis, DB, Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian Academy
Demarkcus Bowman, RB, Lakeland (Fla.)
Antoine Sampah, LB, Woodbridge (Va.)
R.J. Mickens, DB, Southlake (Texas) Carroll
Daniyel Ngata, RB, Folsom (Calif.)
E.J. Williams, WR, Phenix City (Ala.) Central
KeAndre Lambert, WR, Norfolk (Va.) Maury
Jalen Harrell, DB, Miami (Fla.) Central
Henry Gray, DB, Miami (Fla.) Central
Trenton Simpson, LB, Charlotte (N.C.) Mallard Creek
Ladarius Tennison, ATH, Rockledge (Fla.) – (Miami commit)
Malcolm Greene, DB, Highland Springs (Va.)
Diego LaMonica, TE, Miami (Fla.) Gulliver Prep
Clyde Pinder, DT, Seffner (Fla.) Armwood
Byron Floyd, OL, Mentor (Ohio)
2021 Prospects
Brandon Buckner, DT, Chandler (Ariz.)
Chaz Chambliss, LB, Carrollton (Ga.)
Terrance Ferguson, OL, Fort Valley (Ga.) Peach County
Ryan Linthicum, OL, Damascus (Md.)
Evan Pryor, RB, Cornelius (N.C.) Hough
Landyn Watson, DE, Hutto (Texas)
Jeremiah Williams, DE, Birmingham (Ala.) Ramsay
JC Latham, DE, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy
Greg Penn, LB, Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic
2022
Travis Shaw, DE, Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley