Cane Berrong is an elite sophomore tight end. In fact, the Hartwell (Ga.) Hart County standout was tabbed as the nation’s No. 1 tight end in the latest rankings update by 247Sports for the class of 2021.

Instead of letting that ranking go to his head, however, Berrong intends to use it as motivation moving forward.

“Feels like I gotta work harder because now I got a big bulls-eye on my back,” he told TCI.

Berrong, who stands at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, has racked up 17 scholarship offers to date. Clemson does not typically offer underclassmen prospects, but Berrong is high on the Tigers and hopes to earn an offer from Dabo Swinney’s program in the future.

“I really like them,” he said. “They’re high on my list. I want to continue developing a relationship with the coaches and visit a game in the fall.”

Berrong has visited Clemson twice recently, first in early March before returning to campus at the beginning of last week. The time he has spent there has allowed him to get to know Swinney, tight ends coach Danny Pearman, offensive analyst Tyler Grisham and other members of the staff.

“They’re great,” Berrong said. “I have a really good relationship with Coach Pearman and Coach Grisham. … And Dabo wants the best for his players.”

Besides Clemson, Berrong has made trips to Georgia, NC State, Virginia Tech and Penn State in April. He plans to visit Alabama this weekend, Georgia again next week and then Notre Dame this summer.