One of several Clemson commitments that made their way to campus for the Tigers’ game against Syracuse last weekend was 2020 four-star linebacker Sergio Allen.
The Fort Valley (Ga.) Peach County product really enjoyed being back at Death Valley.
“It felt great,” Allen said. “There is no place like home. It just felt so good to be back.”
Allen (6-1, 220) has visited Clemson on a number of occasions, including for the Auburn game last season. But last Saturday’s visit had a different feel for him, as it was his first time on campus since he committed to the Tigers in late July.
“It felt different in a way that I could walk around and know that this is where I’m going,” he said. “I don’t have to worry about nothing because I was home.”
Allen’s presence did not go unnoticed by some of Clemson’s diehard fans who recognized the future star.
“I took a few pictures and signed some balls,” he said. “It was all unreal. There was a crazy amount of love shown.”
Allen was impressed by what was a deafening atmosphere at Death Valley during the Syracuse game.
“It was crazy,” he said. “So loud I could barely talk.”
The 80,000 Clemson supporters in attendance helped the Tigers rally from a 16-7 halftime deficit to defeat the Orange, 27-23, and remain undefeated at 5-0 (2-0 ACC).
“Everybody stepped up big time,” Allen said. “It meant a lot to them and it meant a lot to the fans as well, and it just goes to show the grit that Clemson has.”
The visit allowed Allen to spend more time with Clemson’s coaches and continue building upon his already strong relationship with the staff.
“They were all just excited to see me back up,” he said.
Allen is one of three commitments in Clemson’s 2020 class, and he is working to help the Tigers recruit more top prospects to join what has the potential to be a special class.
The other two commits in the class — Hartsville (S.C.) defensive lineman Demonte Capehart and Canton (Ga.) Creekview offensive lineman John Williams — were both on hand for the Syracuse game as well.
“I was talking with John and Demonte about how they’ve been doing,” Allen said. “Clemson is in store for a good 2020 class no doubt.”
Allen chose to play at Clemson over offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Penn State, South Carolina and Tennessee among others.
As a sophomore last season, Allen helped Peach County to the Class 3A state title game while recording 104 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, two sacks, seven quarterback hurries, one pass deflection, a fumble recovery and an interception.
He is ranked as high as the No. 4 inside linebacker and No. 100 overall prospect in the 2020 class per 247Sports.