Clemson only had room to take one tight end in its 2020 signing class, but head coach Dabo Swinney says the Tigers hit a home run with the guy they got to fill that spot – Sage Ennis.

“Sage is long, really a long kid, a great athlete, great ball skills and as tough as they come,” Swinney said after Ennis signed last month. “Super, super excited. I think we absolutely knocked it out of the park with Sage.”

Ennis (6-4, 230) tallied 113 receptions for 1,783 yards and 17 touchdowns over his career as a tight end at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, Florida. The Graceville, Florida, native scored at least one touchdown of at least 50 yards in each of his three seasons playing the position.

An all-around athlete, Ennis also saw action at defensive end and quarterback for Lincoln. He rushed for 13 touchdowns, giving him 30 total rushing and receiving touchdowns for his career.

Clemson tight ends coach Danny Pearman played a big part in helping the Tigers land Ennis — the nation’s No. 7 tight end/H-back per ESPN — from Florida State’s backyard.

“Sage, he’s another kid who’s a raw, athletic kid who has a toughness quality to him that I like,” Pearman told The Clemson Insider recently. “He also has the ability to be a good route-runner. So, we look forward to getting him in our program. He’s already in school, and look forward to seeing him develop this offseason.”

After enrolling at Clemson in early January, Ennis and the other midyears were able to work out with the Tigers in shorts, T-shirts and helmets during a couple of their on-campus bowl practices leading up to the national championship game.

“They’ve been out there twice, but it’s been more of an individual-type role,” Pearman said. “They obviously weren’t in gear, so it was just going through individual with him and running some routes, working some blocking, some footwork stuff. But look forward to working with him.”

Clemson extended an offer to Ennis on June 5, 2019, after evaluating him at the Swinney Football Camp.

Ennis then committed to the Tigers just 12 days later, choosing to play for them over childhood favorite Florida State and a slew of other offers.

“It’s amazing how things work out because he’s grown up down there in Florida, but his dad just got called to start and pastor a church up in Charlotte, and he’s already up there,” Swinney said. “While he was finishing school, dad’s starting this church, and here he is.

“His dream was I think to go to Florida State, but it just ended up he came up here (for a visit). His dad tells the story that they were just going to stop by and be here for a little while, and they spent like the whole day and they all left saying, ‘There’s no way we’re not coming to Clemson.’ So, I just think it’s a really cool thing.”

Swinney credited Pearman for getting Ennis on campus and then sealing the deal with him thereafter.

“He had been saying, ‘Listen, I’m just telling you, you’re going to like this guy,’ and boy, did I,” Swinney said. “It didn’t take long. I said, ‘Danny, oh my goodness, he is the epitome of what we need and what we want at that position.’ So, just a tremendous job and super excited about Sage Ennis joining us.”

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