A rising junior with two dozen scholarship offers, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star wide receiver Samuel Mbake is on pace to be one of the most highly sought-after players at his position in the 2022 class.

Mbake (6-3, 205) named Penn State, Florida, Tennessee and South Carolina as just some of the many schools recruiting him hard at this early stage of his recruiting process.

“They really all show a lot of love and all the coaches try to reach out to me as best as possible what with the rules going on,” Mbake told The Clemson Insider. “But all the schools that offered me, they all show love.”

While Mbake doesn’t yet have an offer from Clemson, it may be only a matter of time before the Tigers pull the trigger as offensive coordinator Tony Elliott and receivers coach Tyler Grisham are showing significant interest, with the latter conveying to Mbake that he is a top priority for them in the 2022 class.

“Clemson showing love this early, it’s a blessing,” Mbake said. “It’s a blessing, but I also know when they come around, it’s time to show up and be about the player that they think I am.”

Mbake, who is originally from Kennesaw, Ga., is high on Clemson as well.

“I have a bunch of interest in Clemson because I’ve been watching some of their receivers like Justyn Ross, Tee Higgins and E.J. Williams as they were in high school,” Mbake said. “I model after their game a lot … The way Clemson uses their receivers, it’s very explosive and very different, and they’re a great team.”

Mbake said visiting Clemson in the future is a “priority” for him, while there are a lot of other schools he is also looking to check out after the NCAA dead period, which prohibits in-person recruiting, eventually ends.

“UGA, Alabama, University of Florida, Tennessee, Ohio State, Penn State,” he listed when asked which schools he wants to visit. “Really as many schools as possible so that way I can get a feel for who really is interested in me.”

According to Mbake, he has no favorites this early in his recruitment and doesn’t plan to make his commitment any time soon.

“Everything is still wide open because there’s still schools that are still talking to me and schools that still haven’t offered yet that maybe want to wait a little bit,” he said. “So everything’s still wide open for me right now, and I won’t be making a decision for a good minute.”

Should Mbake receive an offer from Clemson moving forward, it would be a big deal for him — especially considering how stingy and selective the Tigers are when it comes to extending offers.

“That would mean a lot,” he said. “That would be a moment to remember for the rest of my life because I know how special and rare that they offer kids like that. They only offer like 50 kids per class. So, for them to be telling me I’m a top priority, that means a lot in my recruitment.”

Clemson masks are now available.

Please stay safe and get your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!