If you had told Ajou Ajou earlier this year that he would eventually be committed to Clemson, he would not have believed you.
A Canadian athlete from Brooks, Alberta, Ajou moved to Florida this offseason to attend Clearwater Academy International in hopes of attracting attention from Division I football programs.
That is exactly what happened, as Ajou’s recruitment exploded upon his arrival to the states, and he is now committed to play wide receiver for the defending national champs.
The Clemson Insider traveled to Clearwater Academy as part of our Tour of Champions and spoke with Ajou, who still finds the whole situation he is in surreal.
“I still haven’t taken this in that I’m committed to Clemson,” he said. “It seems fake to me.”
Ajou also played basketball and was a high jumper in Canada. But the 6-foot-4, 200-pounder knows he has the most potential on the football field, so it’s the sport he has chosen to focus on.
“I felt like wide receiver, there’s not many people that are at my height and can run and jump,” he said. “I felt like I could go further in football than in basketball.”
College football coaches felt the same way, and thus offers began to flood in for Ajou shortly after his move to the Sunshine State. Schools such as Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M and many others pulled the trigger on offers.
Ajou, who racked up over two dozen in total, remembers being shocked by how quickly his recruitment took off.
“It was crazy, bro,” he said with a big smile. “I literally came from nothing to just boom! I was like, ‘Hold up, wait a minute, what?’ How did it happen so fast, you know what I mean. Words cannot explain it.”
Ajou received an offer from Clemson in early June after working out at the Dabo Swinney Camp. He then returned to campus for the All In Cookout in late July, when he gave his verbal commitment to the Tigers.
According to Ajou, he knew “100 percent” that he wanted to be a Clemson Tiger during his first visit there.
“It felt like home to me,” he said.
Swinney, receivers coach Jeff Scott and co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott made Ajou feel at home as well.
“I love Coach Scott and Coach Elliott, and Dabo,” Ajou said. “Coach Scott, he’s such a nice guy. Just so genuine. You can tell he’s real. You can tell.”
It has been a whirlwind of a recruiting process for Ajou, who still has to pinch himself when he thinks about being a member of Clemson’s 2020 recruiting class. He can’t even imagine what it will be like to rub Howard’s Rock and run down the hill in front of 80,000-plus fans in Death Valley in the future.
“It’s going to be crazy,” he said. “I know that feeling is going to be one of the greatest feelings ever, for sure.”
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