Swinney, Grisham impressed with Texas wide receiver
By: samneumann July 4, 2021

One position that Clemson has given a lot of attention to in the Class of 2023? Wide Receiver.

As the Tigers extend their recruiting footprint in the state of Texas, Clemson wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham is keeping a close eye on some under-the-radar prospects, including Spring (Tx.) Klein Oak 2023 WR Kaleb Black.

Black spoke with The Clemson Insider regarding his recent visit and what he continues to hear from the Tigers.

“The Clemson visit was great,” Black said. “I liked the coaching, it was a lot of hands-on coaching. Me and my teammate because of our performance we got to do a visit. The visit was real cool. They showed us around the school and we got to take photos in the uniform.”

Grisham showed Black a lot about the history of Clemson, from former players to stat lines to how nearly everyone who goes through the program graduates.

“He was a really down-to-earth dude, he was real cool,” Black said of Grisham. “He was giving me a lot of pointers throughout the camp, making my game better, giving me stuff that I can use to improve my game. I really liked Coach Grisham.”

Two things that Grisham likes about Black’s game? His route running and his ability to find the ball.

They have a limited line of communication just because of the current dead period instituted on the 2023 class, but Black said that they should be getting in touch later down the line.

“Clemson definitely has to be top-5 out of the schools I’ve been to,” he said. Even without them offering me, they’re definitely top-5. They were showing interest in me while I was at the camp and I got to talk to Coach Dabo.”

What type of feedback did Black get from Swinney?

“He was just saying that I have some stuff to improve on, but he was really pleased with the performance I gave at the camp,” Black said.

For Black, that’s an encouraging sign, he just has to improve his speed and implementing what was taught to him by Grisham and Swinney right away.

“I would say that I’m a pretty dynamic player, I could go both ways,” he said. I’m a hard-working player, team player.”

Black is being looked at as a defensive back by the University of Wisconsin, who offered him back in May. He also holds offers from Houston, Kansas and Tulsa.

In addition to Clemson, Black has camped at Baylor and been on visits to Tulsa, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

Overall, what Black encountered during his time at Clemson is something he’ll cherish and almost beyond words.

“The experience was a really great, kind of unique experience,” he said. “That was my first ever visit. The visit was just great, I can’t explain it any other way…We got to sit in the coach’s office, players lounge, we got to watch film on former players, their film at Clemson.”

As Grisham pulled out all the stops, Black was able to watch some film on former Clemson standouts like DeAndre Hopkins and Tee Higgins.

Staying on the topic of current NFL wide receivers, Black compared his playstyle as a mixture of Jarvis Landry, Stefon Diggs and Jalen Darden. While he can play all over the field, Black prioritizes himself on being a slot receiver, which he says is what helps his team the most.

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