When Connor Salmin was traveling in from Maryland for the Elite Retreat, he had no inclination that he’d be leaving a member of Clemson’s 2026 recruiting class.

That is exactly what happened, as the four-star wideout, out of The Bullis School, committed to the Tigers on Saturday, becoming the second receiver to commit to Clemson during the annual event.

Salmin got to town on Friday and was able to take in a spring practice that afternoon. Getting to watch how Dabo Swinney and the rest of his staff, including receivers coach Tyler Grisham, run the practices left a lasting impression.

Salmin said he was overly impressed with Grisham’s energy and how he motivates his players.

“That was my first time watching the team practice,” Salmin told The Clemson Insider. “I got to truly see how coach Grisham coaches in person. I got to see some of the other coaches coaching in person. I got to see how the guys competed at practice. Just the overall environment of their practice. That was my first time seeing that, and it was really awesome. It was a great environment.”

From his very first visit last summer, Salmon knew he really liked Clemson. The Tigers were always one of a select few schools that he could see himself playing.

“I told my parents the first time we left that it just felt different,” he said. “I knew from the first time we were there, we were kind of like, like it was since, since the first time we went that was the number one school I was interested in the moment. We visited a few other places. Going around to see if there were any other schools I got that feeling from.”

Despite those other visits to schools like Penn State and Notre Dame, Clemson always stood out.

However, what transpired on Saturday ultimately set the stage for Salmin’s commitment. Listening to Swinney address the recruits on hand, as well as their families, for more than two and half hours resonated.

“Everybody was saying it was gonna be a super long speech,” Salmins said. “Going into it, I was like, I just got to stay awake. But then, when he was talking, there wasn’t a second that I was not paying attention. Everything he was saying was super important. Things that could affect my future and how they do things there. Things about Clemson. Really important stuff. Some of it we had seen before, and some of it was new. He did a really good job talking about everything. Literally anything you could think of, he touched on.”

It was during that speech that Salmin knew. After it was over, he discussed the decision with his parents, and they were also on board.

“He said some really deep stuff,” Salmon said. “For me and my parents, it was the deciding factor. We felt really comfortable there. The relationships and everything there from the start was something they had done a really good job with. They’ve done a really good job recruiting me.”

That’s when Salmin and his parents headed for Swinney’s office to deliver the news, but there was just one problem. Swinney was not in his office. He and some of the other wode receiver coaches were still out in the hallway celebrating the commitment of four-star receiver Naeem Burroughs, which had taken place just a few minutes earlier.

Swinney finally made his way back into his office, and Salmin informed the head coach of his commitment.

“He was super pumped,” Salmin added. “He was just super excited. It was really awesome.”

247 ranks the blue-chip wideout as a Top 150 talent. As a junior, Salmin had more than 1,100 receiving yards and averaged more than 20 yards per reception. He also reeled in 16 touchdown catches.

The opportunity to bring that talent to Clemson is something Salmin is very much looking forward to.

At the same time, he is also looking forward to playing a part in getting Clemson back to being “Wide Receiver U.” Even better, he says the Tigers aren’t quite done yet.

“It means a lot,” Salmin said. “I know we got some more in the works. I think we’re gonna have one of the best receiver classes in the country.”