A priority safety target in the 2023 recruiting class announced that he will be at Clemson this weekend.

Selma (Alabama) four-star safety DaKaari Nelson will be in attendance for Clemson’s Elite Junior Day.

I will be at Clemson this weekend 🟠⚪️where my Clemson fans at 👀

— 8Ball 🎱 (@dakaari_nelson) January 27, 2022

“Lately they’ve been saying they like the way I play and they want to offer me, but Coach Swinney wants to see me in person before they do,” he told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview Thursday.

Nelson (6-3, 195) said that his height and his weight combination are “unreal,” so Swinney wants to be able to size him up in person.

What would getting a Clemson offer mean to Nelson?

“With Clemson being one of the top football programs in the nation and with them offering me, it would boost my confidence tremendously,” he added.

Clemson co-defensive coordinator Mickey Conn and defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall have served as Nelson’s primary recruiters. In fact, Conn stopped by Nelson’s high school on Thursday, ahead of his junior day visit this weekend. 

The Tigers also stopped by last week and in December of 2021.

Hall was the first coach from Clemson to get in contact with Nelson. The staff has been wanting to get the highly-touted safety prospect on campus for some time now, so he can witness and experience the on-campus feel. 

Speaking of this weekend’s events, of course, Nelson will get a chance to meet with Swinney, but he’ll also have the opportunity to hear how Clemson would utilize him in their game plan. 

In his own words, Nelson has been watching Clemson “for a minute,” so he knows a lot about the football aspect of things, but he’s looking forward to finding out more about the town itself and the surrounding atmosphere. 

According to Nelson, Conn likes his versatility and how he can cover and come down and tackle.

“I’m a very vocal player,” he said. “I play smart. I’m the head of the defense. I call plays and stuff. If I had to explain myself to somebody else, I’d say that I’m the general or the quarterback of the defense.”

As far as his recruitment is concerned, Nelson plans on taking some more visits this spring and will eventually drop a top schools list. By the time the summer rolls around, specifically late July, Nelson hopes to have a decision made and commit to his next home.

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