Philadelphia (Pa.) Imhotep Institute five-star defensive end/outside linebacker Enai White had been really hoping to receive an offer from the Clemson football program.

So when he finally scored the long-awaited offer Tuesday, it meant a lot to him and marked a big moment in his recruitment.

“I mean, to get the offer from Clemson, it was big,” White told The Clemson Insider. “Clemson is one of my dream schools, so to get that, it was a good milestone to achieve.”

White (6-5, 225) has been staying in touch with Clemson defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall and has spoken with defensive coordinator Brent Venables a couple of times as well.

It was Hall who informed White, one of the top-ranked prospects in the class of 2022, of his offer from the Tigers during a phone call.

“The first thing he said, he’s been waiting to do it because they don’t offer (many) 2022s,” White said. “So, he already told me I stand out from a lot of prospects, like I’m number one on the list. And the techniques I have and stuff I have is different, something he’s never seen before.”

White explained why he is high on Clemson and what makes it one of his “dream schools.”

“The history behind it and they produce, and it’s structured over there,” he said. “I know it’s a tight ship run around there. They’re going to be on me, on and off the field.”

White had planned to attend a game at Death Valley last season and was also slated to visit Clemson this spring before the pandemic shut down in-person recruiting, though neither of those trips ended up transpiring for various reasons.

However, White is still intent on visiting Clemson after the NCAA dead period, which runs through at least Aug. 31, eventually ends.

“That’s definitely something I want to do because if it ends up being (the school) I commit to, I want to be familiar with the school and the people there and all that,” he said.

White lists more than 40 total offers, including offers from schools such as Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Several of White’s suitors are recruiting him especially hard and have separated themselves from the pack of others pursuing him at this point in the process.

“There’s some that stand out,” he said. “I’m going to tell you the ones that stand out, stand out. Penn State stands out a lot. Their fan base is on me heavy, their culture is on me heavy. Tennessee… A lot of schools are on me heavy, but those couple schools — Tennessee, Bama, South Carolina and Penn State — right now, they’re showing the most love.”

There are a lot of schools White is looking to check out after the dead period is over, and he wants to take all of his official visits before he makes his decision, ideally around this time next year before the start of his senior year.

After earning the huge offer from Clemson, White expects the Tigers to be heavily in the mix for his commitment over the long haul.

“I mean, they’re definitely top tier. Definitely top tier,” he said when asked where Clemson stands in his recruitment. “They should be one of the finalists.”

White is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 1 weak-side defensive end and No. 5 overall prospect in the 2022 class, while he is rated as a five-star by the 247Sports Composite, which considers him the No. 12 overall prospect in the class.

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