TJ Dudley, a four-star linebacker from Montgomery (Ala.) Catholic Prep School, attended Clemson’s junior day recruiting function this spring and left campus very impressed by the visit.

So, the talented rising junior was thrilled when the Tigers handed him one of their first 2022 linebacker offers last month.

“It was amazing, because I had gone on a visit (in March) and I loved the facility, the players and the coaching staff,” Dudley told The Clemson Insider, reflecting on the offer. “The coaching staff was probably the main thing, and it was just amazing to hear that I got that offer.”

Dabo Swinney, Brent Venables and Todd Bates, Dudley’s area recruiter, made a great impression on Dudley while spending time with him during the visit.

“They just showed that they really cared about their players and turning them into men, and also the football aspect,” he said. “But they put that beside the point, and they showed that they really cared about their players.”

NCAA rules prohibit college coaches from initiating contact with Division I football recruits before Sept. 1 of their junior year of high school, but the Tigers have been regularly reaching out to Dudley’s high school coach to relay messages to him and check up on him.

“One (message) is just to keep working,” Dudley said. “That was probably the main thing that they told me before and after the offer, was just to keep working.”

Dudley (6-2, 210) has collected offers from nearly two dozen programs in total, including Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Oregon and Tennessee to name some.

Among the schools on his offer list, Dudley cited Clemson, Alabama, Auburn and Florida State as a few that have demonstrated the most interest so far. He said he is looking to visit each of those schools after the ongoing NCAA dead period eventually ends, along with LSU and Oregon.

While Dudley is looking closely into various college options, he does not have a set group of top schools at this relatively early stage of his recruiting process.

“I mean, of course I have some that I’m taking into consideration, but no really favorites yet,” he said.

Dudley admitted, though, that the Tigers sit in a strong spot in his recruitment after giving him the opportunity to play there.

“Clemson is a very good deal with me,” he said. “They’re a very good deal.”

Dudley plans to commit sometime during his senior year in 2021 and said he may drop a list of top schools later this year.

As a sophomore in 2019, Dudley registered 117 total tackles including 20 for loss and 7.5 sacks.

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