Elite-Level RB Eyeing First-Ever Visit to Clemson
By: jasonpriester February 13, 2025

Jae Lamar’s stock continues to rise. Seeing as he’s already a Top 100 talent in the 2026 recruiting class, that’s saying something.

The 4-star running back (Colquitt County, Moultrie, GA) already has more than a dozen offers, several coming from some of the nation’s more notable programs, and after being named a Top Performer at the Under Armor Next Camp in Atlanta last weekend, that number will only continue to grow.

However, Lamar has long been on Clemson running backs coach C.J. Spiller’s radar, even if the Tigers have yet to offer.

“About three months ago, coach C.J. Spiller contacted me and told me he had an interest in me,” Lamar told The Clemson Insider. “He came to the school, stopped by to see me and we’ve just started building a relationship.”

During the contact period last month, Spiller made two different stops to check in on the talented running back. Head coach Dabo Swinney accompanied Spiller on one of those trips.

“Coach Spiller is a very nice dude,” Lamar added. “I feel like he’s not just trying to lead men to come in there and play for him. I think he wants to better me, make me a better man, instead of just a better football player. Yes, you want to be a better football player, but it is crucial that you are a better man than football player.”

The Tigers also have a connection of a different kind here. Sean Calhoun, Lamar’s current high school coach, coached current wide receiver Cole Turner at Vestavia Hills (Birmingham, AL).

The final step towards Lamar earning an offer from the Tigers is getting the speedy back on campus. The 6-foot, 205-pound recruit has never visited Clemson. While no date has been ironed out just yet, Lamar is eyeing late March.

“I just know it’s a winning program there,” he said. “I know about coach Spiller, his legacy there. And Phil Mafah. I know about a few of those running backs.”

Despite never having visited, the fact that Spiller is a former first-round NFL Draft pick who spent eight years in the league intrigues the highly touted back.

“Yes sir, it does,” Lamar said. “Because he has that experience of knowing what it takes to get there.”

As a junior, Lamar carried the ball 112 times and averaged 7.9 yards per attempt, with 11 touchdowns. Rivals currently ranks the blue-chip talent No. 89 overall and No. 5 among all running backs. He also ranks No. 14 in the talent-rich state of Georgia.

Ohio State, Miami, Georgia, Tennessee, Auburn and Florida State are just a small number of the schools currently recruiting Lamar the hardest.

Georgia, Auburn, Florida and Miami each got recent visits and Ohio State is set to get a spring visit.

Then there is the upcoming trip to Clemson. And how that first one goes will determine how much staying power the Tigers have in Lamar’s recruitment.

“I just want a family feel,” Lamar said. “I want to see how they work. And I really want to meet the people that are inside of the building. Because it is always about the people inside of the buildings.”