A fast-rising North Carolina linebacker made his return to Clemson last week.

2027 prospect Elijah Chaffin (Davie, NC) took in a spring practice last week. He was last on campus in October for the Tigers’ blowout win over Virginia. He also visited for the spring game last year.

However, this was Chaffin’s first time getting to take in an actual practice, something he was very much looking forward to. The 6-foot-4, 216-pound linebacker believes you can learn a lot about a program by watching how they practice.

“I was actually pretty excited to get out there because you get a certain experience,” Chaffin told The Clemson Insider. “On game-day, you get that game-day experience. But it’s good to go to practice and really see what happens. Really see what goes on.”

Clemson has made some changes on the defensive staff since his last visit. Tom Allen was hired away from Penn State as the new defensive coordinator and Ben Boulware was promoted to linebackers coach.

Chaffin was already familiar with Allen, having met him while on a past visit to Penn State and his addition to the staff has brought with it a new vibe surrounding the defense.

“It felt a little bit different,” Chaffin said. “We actually knew coach Allen. I had been to Penn State and I spent the day with him, so I knew coach Allen a little bit. And then, obviously, I had grown up watching Ben Boulware. He was a great player. I thought it was pretty cool that those new pieces were added in. It was a different change, it’s definitely different from what it was before. But I think it’s a good change for Clemson.”

Chaffin certainly liked what he saw on the practice field with Allen running things.

“I could look at coach Allen and definitely tell that his intensity is there,” Chaffin added. “Like he wants them to get better. He wants them to be the best they can be.”

While on the visit, Chaffin got to spend a few minutes with Boulware, and while it wasn’t a long conversation, the young linebacker was impressed.

“He’s definitely a nice guy,” Chaffin said. “He gave us some tips. You can tell that he knows what he’s doing. Obviously, from his play on the field. Now he’s the coach and you know he always wants Clemson to excel and be the best team they can be.”

While Chaffin has yet to pick up a Power-4 offer, there are several schools showing strong interest, including Virginia Tech and North Carolina, along with Clemson.

The Tigers won’t even start handing out offers to players in the 2027 class until the summer, which is much later than most, but Chaffin understands the meticulous approach Dabo Swinney takes with recruiting.

“They have a process where they want to see this player, whoever this player is, they want to see him develop,” he said. “They want to see him get better. They want to make sure they’re getting the right guy who can go out there on Saturdays and perform. It’s not a problem for me at all really. I know what they’re looking for, and I know what they’re striving for, and if they want that excellence, then they have to wait a little bit to see what type of player they’re getting.”

Currently, Chaffin has no future visits scheduled. He is hoping to get back to Virginia Tech, a place he has visited multiple times, as well as North Carolina.

As for Clemson, he is eyeing a return date of April 5 for the spring game. He also said he was hoping to work out at camp this summer, in an effort to earn that coveted offer from the Tigers.

“I mean, it would mean a lot to me,” Chaffin said. “Because that’s a winning program. That’s basically the best of the best. So I would be extremely grateful and blessed.”

Photo courtesy of Elijah Chaffin on X (currently known as Twitter)