At this time last year, the only people walking around Georgia sporting Clemson caps were fans and alums. Not one football recruit from Georgia pledged to Clemson on national signing day.
On Wednesday, five players committed to the Tigers. What changed? Nothing, according to Clemson recruiting coordinator Jeff Scott.
Recruiting Georgia hard has always been a priority for Clemson, going back to 1986 when the Tigers plucked running back Terry Allen out of Banks County High School. He became one of the school’s all-time greats and played 10 years in the NFL
And it was a priority last year, too, Scott said. Both this year and last, Clemson had eight recruiters working in Georgia. Timing and circumstance led to a Georgia shutout.
“It was just kind of the way things went. Last year, we had 16 players committed by the summer,” Scott said. “We definitely had some kids from Georgia targeted but they wanted to wait a little longer to make their decisions and we ended up filling those spots. Really, it was just a matter of timing more than anything.
“Georgia always has a lot of really good players. You draw a three-hour radius around your campus. Georgia is just 18 miles from our campus and so we always have a lot of those guys on our board, evaluating them.”
Clemson missed on a couple of the big-name Georgia players like Grayson’s Robert Nkemdiche (Ole Miss) and Dooly County’s Montravious Adams (Auburn).
But the Tigers still had a strong showing with Grayson defensive back Ryan Carter and running back Wayne Gallman, Elbert County running back Tyshon Dye, Coffee County offensive lineman Maverick Morris and Brookwood receiver Kyrin Priester.
Originally committed to N.C. State (and, before that, Georgia), Priester (6-foot-2, 190 pounds) turned to Clemson when the Wolfpack made a coaching change after the 2011 season and State defensive back coach Mike Reed landed at Clemson.
“Coach Reed had been recruiting me at N.C. State and he stayed in touch with me when he went to Clemson,” Priester said. “I had been looking at them anyway and had been there a couple of times and liked it.”
Priester said he had hoped to get an offer from the Tigers after competing in their prospect camp last summer. But a groin injury prevented him from participating and he watched from the sidelines while two other campers receive offers. However, Reed maintained contact and Priester was offered during the season.
“It was great. I felt disappointed when I didn’t get an offer at the camp because of my groin,” Priester said. “But coach Reed and coach (Tony) Elliott stayed by me. That meant a lot to me. It showed me that Clemson is like a family.”
Families can administer tough love as well, which is what Reed did this school year when Priester’s grades began to slip.
“(Reed) got in the car and drove down here and got Kyrin back on track,” Brookwood coach Mark Crews said. “He didn’t just pick up the phone. He came here to talk to him. That says a lot about how they take care of their business at Clemson.”
Priester’s mother, Detrice Lewis, was impressed as well.
“That showed me that they cared about him as a person, as a young man, not just an athlete,” Lewis said. “They made sure he got back on track. Coach Reed, coach Elliott and coach (Dabo) Swinney, who is so funny, they are all good Christian men. I feel good about the fact that they will be helping to grow as a man.”
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