Exactly a year after committing to Clemson on July 26, 2018, Fort Valley (Ga.) Peach County four-star linebacker Sergio Allen returned to campus for the All In Cookout on Friday.

“It was phenomenal,” said Allen, the No. 3 inside linebacker in the country and a top-150 national prospect according to ESPN. “Being around great guys and coaches, it was all-around fun.”

Along with most of his fellow commits in the 2020 class, Allen was joined at the cookout by several of the Tigers’ priority targets in the current cycle, including three five-star prospects: defensive end Jordan Burch, linebacker Justin Flowe and tight end Arik Gilbert.

Allen has a message for that trio of five-stars.

“Justin Flowe, Jordan Burch, and Arik Gilbert – we want ‘em, we need ‘em,” Allen said.

As far as Allen could tell, the aforementioned recruits really enjoyed the cookout.

“I think they loved it but you’d have to ask them,” Allen said. “Those are some great guys, not just football players. I think their chances with us are very good… I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

Regarding Flowe, Allen would love to line up beside him in Clemson’s linebacker corps in the future.

“It’d be amazing,” he said. “I don’t think I need to say much about his ability on the field. I think we’d feed off each other in game situations. It’d be real scary.”

Dabo Swinney concluded the annual All In Cookout with a speech to the prospects in attendance, and the words from Clemson’s head coach left an impression on Allen.

“He told us that we are the future,” Allen said. “We are family, we are each other’s brothers. It’s not just about football. He said the hardest part for him as a coach is when the seniors leave, but he told us that he knows we will be equipped with the right tools for life, so that makes it alright for him. He also said the best part of being a coach for him is being with us, watching us grow as men. Coach Swinney said a lot more but that’s just a few. He’s unbelievable… It gets me every time.”