Jae Lamar left Clemson with two things he didn’t have when he arrived.
The four-star running back, out of Colquitt Country (Moultrie, GA), just finished up his first-ever visit to campus, arriving on Saturday and not leaving until early Tuesday morning.
That gave Lamar more than enough time to get an up-close look at Dabo Swinney’s program, and the experience has turned this recruitment on its ear.
“It felt more different that any program I have been to,” Lamar told The Clemson Insider. “I mean, they just stand out in everything they do.”
The Tigers really started recruiting Lamar hard earlier this year. Swinney, along with running backs coach C.J. Spiller, made a stop by his school during the contact period. The two made it known that Lamar was a priority, but before he could officially pick up an offer, he needed to visit.
Lamar quickly set that up, and as soon as he got into the Clemson city limits on Saturday, he stopped and took a photo with the sign to mark the occasion.
“Coach Dabo and coach Spiller came by my school in January,” he said. “Coach Swinney told me he couldn’t offer me until I passed into the city limits. So when I got close to the city limits, I pulled over and took the picture so I could show him I was down here and get my offer.”
Swinney got a kick out of the humorous photo, and not only did Lamar end up leaving town with his offer, but he also had earned a new nickname to take back home.
“I showed him the picture in person,” Lamar said. “He gave me the nickname ‘City Limits.'”
The 6-foot, 205-pound back was able to spend a ton of time with Spiller while on campus and also took in two spring practices. The way Spiller not only coaches his players, but also how he interacts with them made a lasting impression.
“The people in the program are different,” Lamar said. “The feeling there is different. You just get that feeling there in your bones. Like, you can thrive there at that place. That you can actually be someone special.”
How Clemson sets players up for life after football also hit the mark.
“Getting into the PAW Journey, that is just awesome,” Lamar said. “After school, you still have a place you can come back to, and they still treat you like family.”
Lamar has slowly but surely become one of the most heavily recruited running backs in the 2026 class. He has more than 30 offers, with most nationally prominent programs having pulled the trigger.
As a junior, Lamar carried the ball 112 times and averaged 7.9 yards per attempt, with 11 touchdowns. Rivals ranks him No. 97 overall and No. 4 among all running backs in his class.
Ohio State got a visit last week, and he hit Florida State before making it to Clemson. But Georgia has been viewed as the team to beat, with Lamar making no bones about his desire to play for the home-state team.
After the visit to Clemson, Lamar isn’t quite so adamant about that. The Tigers made a major move here. So much, in fact, that he now plans to be at Clemson’s big official visit weekend from May 30 to June 1. He was planning to be in Athens that weekend.
Lamar said he still plans to give the Dawgs an official visit, it just won’t be that weekend. That in and of itself speaks volumes. But the blue-chip running back is also putting it out there publicly. The bar has been raised, and there is a new team to beat.
“Clemson stands number one after that visit.”
Lamar has set a commitment date of July 4.
Photo courtesy of Jae Lamar