Dabo Swinney’s program has a huge weekend for recruiting coming up. This weekend of official visits is a key part of the recruiting cycle. Many of the remaining top end talents announce their commitments in the few weeks following these late may/early June visits. This year, Swinney will have 30+ recruits on campus, and more than 20 of them are rated four or five-stars.
In this group of visitors, there will be a mix of guys who have already committed to Clemson, as well as targets the staff will be looking to seal the deal with. The Tigers already have a top five class according to 247sports, and top 10 for ON3. Snagging a few more commitments from some of the high-level talent in Death Valley this weekend will put this class on track for one of the best in the Swinney era.
Clemson’s Huge Recruiting Weekend
The Commits
Nine of the recruits Swinney will have on campus have already announced they will be a Tiger in 2026. Six of these commits are four-star recruits. All of them will be vital in recruiting the other guys visiting who’ve yet to commit. One player who has been leading that charge is quarterback Tait Reynolds.
The dual-threat quarterback from Arizona is 18th at the position in the country. He is a true playmaker with both his arm and legs. He’s got the ability to throw a 50-yard bomb and scramble for a 70-yard touchdown run. Reynolds has also shown an ability to be a leader, as reports say he has been trying to recruit others to join him in Death Valley.
Reynolds already has a trio of four-star wide receivers joining him. Naeem Burroughs, Gordon Sellars, and Connor Salmin have all committed to Clemson and will be on campus this weekend, too. Burroughs and Salmin are two speedy receiver prospects. Salmin has tremendous straight-line speed that allows him to blow by defenders. He can be a real vertical threat for the Tigers in the future. Burroughs has more of a quick twitch and is most dangerous in space with the ball in his hands.
Another talented player that will be added to the offense in 2026 is interior offensive guard Chancellor Barclays. The guard is strong and physical. Barclays is best used as a pulling guard with how he gets out quick and strikes hard on contact. Another high level commit that will be on campus is safety Kaden Gebhardt. The hard-hitting safety plays with a high motor. He is always finishing plays near the ball in his film. Gebhardt is the type of player that fits a Tom Allen led defense.
The Five Stars
Joining the commits on campus will be many high-value targets for the Tigers. Four targets are rated five stars. One of which is linebacker Tyler Atkinson. At 6’2, Atkinson has a long frame for an inside linebacker and uses every bit of it to get sideline to sideline. He is the number one linebacker in the 2026 class, and his tape shows why. He plays with relentless effort that allows him to make play after play. If he improves his coverage skills, he will quickly be one of the best players in college football.
Sticking to the front seven, another high-value recruit who will be on his official visit is defensive lineman Bryce Perry-Wright. He is a somewhat unusual five-star prospect. This is because his best attribute is not his pure size or athleticism, which are also impressive, but rather his technique. Perry-Wright has a quick get-off and accurate hands. This helps get him the extension in his arms needed to get offensive lineman off of him. The 250-pound defensive lineman plays inside and outside. He does well owning gaps inside and shutting down the edge where he will play at the next level.
Another five-star defender who will be visiting Clemson is safety Joey O’Brien. He is another player with a long frame who knows how to use it. O’Brien does a great job covering the deep part of the field at middle safety. He also has great ball skills that show up both on defense and offense when he plays wideout. O’Brien would be a huge pickup for the Tigers, who are going to need to keep finding depth for the defensive backfield over the next couple of years.
The last five-star target that the staff will attempt to get a commitment from is offensive lineman Darius Gray. He is the number one interior lineman in the country. Gray is big, physical, and has great footwork for his size. He is excellent at getting out and around on pulls. Whether he is pulling, base blocking, or reach blocking, he gets movement upfront. If he plays with a lower pad level, he will see plenty of time on the field early on, wherever he goes.
Other Key Targets on Campus
The five-stars won’t be the only targets of great value that will be on campus for the Tigers. Clemson will have another 10 uncommitted four-star recruits visiting this weekend. All of them are highly talented, but some play positions that are of more urgent need to the program.
For example, Swinney will have two four-star running backs on campus. Going into the 2023 season, Clemson had one of the best running back duos in the FBS. Entering 2025, the Tigers’ best options at running back are a true freshman and a player who’s played one game at the position on the collegiate level. Having players in waiting with the talent of running back targets Jae Lamar and Carson Baker would give Clemson depth for next season. It also gives them two guys with the potential to be featured backs in the future.
Another position the Tigers need will depth at in the near future is defensive end. If Perry-Wright isn’t sold on what he sees this weekend, Clemson will have two more cracks at high-end edge defenders in Zavion Griffin-Haynes and Dre Quinn. TJ Parker is likely to move on to the NFL at the end of the 2025 season. Will Heldt is more likely to stay another year. Even if that is the case, the depth issues at the position in 2024 will show back up in 2026 if the Tiger’s can’t lock down one more edge player.
One last player that the Clemson staff should keep a sharper eye on is four-star athlete/safety Blake Stewart. Stewart is a playmaker all over the field for Woodward Academy. His athleticism, ball skills, and physical style of play make him a great safety prospect. As already mentioned, defensive back is a position of need for the Tigers. Stewart fits perfectly as someone who could add depth early on.
Main Image: Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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