There’s plenty of mutual interest between Clemson and this big-time offensive line prospect from the Buckeye State.

The Clemson Insider recently caught up with Avon Lake (Ohio) High School four-star Maxwell Riley, one of the nation’s top offensive tackles in the class of 2026.

The 6-foot-5, 270-pound sophomore is high on the Tigers and believes they have considerable early interest in him as well.

“I’d say there’s definitely a mutual interest,” said Riley, the nation’s No. 3 offensive tackle and No. 14 overall prospect in his class, per 247Sports.

“I’m interested in them, I think they’re interested in me a decent amount. Just looking forward to building a relationship with them throughout this process.”

Riley stopped by Clemson for an unofficial visit in June and came away very impressed, particularly by the program’s emphasis on life after football.

“I would say their off-field priorities,” Riley said, reflecting on what stood out about the visit. “I love how they don’t treat football as – like it’s important to them, but they realize life’s bigger than that, you can’t play football forever. I would say that’s important because a lot of schools sometimes get lost in that, that life’s bigger than football. But I really love that about them.”

Riley plans to make his second trip to Tiger Town during the upcoming season and hopes to be at the Nov. 4 game vs. Notre Dame. It would be his first gameday visit to Clemson, and he certainly looks forward to experiencing the atmosphere when he makes it to Death Valley this season.

“It’s going to be really fun. I’m pretty excited,” he said. “The fourth quarter video they played while I was there (on the June visit), that already got me hyped, so I can’t imagine what it’s like when it’s full and bouncing.”

Along with Clemson, Riley said he’s definitely getting to Ohio State this fall, and he’s working on going to a Michigan and/or Penn State game as well.

Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State are all among the schools on Riley’s impressive early offer list, which also includes Florida State, Kentucky, Miami, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Riley is simply enjoying the recruiting process right now and doesn’t expect to narrow down his list until some point next summer heading into his junior year.

Next summer is when Clemson will start dispensing class of 2026 offers, and receiving one of those offers would be a big deal for Riley.

“That would be a really big offer for me,” he said. “I really love how they conduct themselves on and off the field. I’ve got a lot of respect for their program. It’d be a blessing.”

Dear Old Clemson has just added Limited Edition signed Cade Klubnik replica road signs to the online store. Get your highway 2 sign today while supplies last!