As Clemson looks for an offensive tackle or two to close out its 2021 O-line class, it is keeping tabs on an intriguing prospect from the Pittsburgh area who has grown two inches and gained over 70 pounds in the past seven months.
McDonald (Pa.) South Fayette tackle Ryan O’Hair has begun to garner interest from the Tigers via their official Twitter account.
“Clemson Football recently started following me on Twitter and has sent me a few images with messages over the past couple of weeks, but I have not had the opportunity to speak with anyone on their staff yet,” he told The Clemson Insider.
O’Hair has made a massive jump in size since his junior season in 2019, when he stood 6-foot-6 and weighed 220 pounds. He is now 6-foot-8, 293 pounds, and while he does not currently have any scholarship offers, coaches from a bunch of Power Five programs have started to take notice of his growth and potential.
“Penn State, Pitt, Maryland, Michigan State, Rutgers, Purdue and Vanderbilt to name a few,” O’Hair said of schools he is drawing interest from.
O’Hair traveled to Penn State and Pittsburgh for game-day visits in the fall before attending junior days at West Virginia and Miami (Ohio) in January. He had been scheduled to make six spring practice visits this year, but they were all cancelled after the NCAA instituted a ban on on-campus visits beginning March 13 due to coronavirus concerns.
“The recruiting process has been a little frustrating due to the challenges COVID-19 has created with in-person visits being suspended by the NCAA,” he said. “Fortunately, I have been able to remain pretty active with coaches via Twitter, phone/Zoom calls and email.”
O’Hair believes the dead period has hindered his recruiting process by limiting the exposure he would have otherwise gotten with college coaches on their campuses.
“I was really looking forward to the in-person visits as I felt like coaches seeing me in person with my added size would have definitely benefited my recruitment process,” he said.
Right now, Clemson is focused on pursuing a select few offensive tackles in the 2021 class, but O’Hair is a name to keep an eye on if the Tigers opt to expand their O-line board moving forward.
“Obviously Clemson is one of the elite programs in all of college football. Therefore, I would definitely have an interest in them if they show an interest in me,” he said.
What does O’Hair feel he can bring to the table for a college offensive line?
“I would describe myself as a physical and aggressive run blocker who also possesses good pass protection skills,” he said.
O’Hair helped lead South Fayette, a traditional power in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL), to a 10-2 record and 7-0 mark in conference play last season.
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