Clemson's 2026 class takes a hit with Bryce Perry-Wright going elsewhere

This was a must-get for the Tigers, and days before his decision, it appeared that Clemson was starting to lose its momentum.

Grayson Mann · Staff Writer · Saturday, July 05 2025

The race has concluded, and Clemson didn’t cross the finish line first.

We’ve written extensively about Bryce Perry-Wright being a class-altering prospect for 2026 for months, and in the end, he chose Texas A&M over the Tigers.

As Swinney’s class grew in numbers and national recognition, so did Perry-Wright’s importance.

This was a must-get for the Tigers, and days before his decision, it appeared that Clemson was starting to lose its momentum.

Texas A&M and Texas crept back into the picture with new offers on the table, giving him pause to allow him to evaluate his options.

In this era of recruiting, nothing is certain, as just about any factor cannot be counted out until the pen is signed on the dotted line.

This isn’t a knock on Perry-Wright in any way, but it does add an interesting layer to recruitment, especially for the top players.

The Longhorns and Aggies dialed up the pressure, and in the end, he picked Texas A&M.

At the end of the day, Clemson still holds valuable commitments on the defensive line in Keshawn Stancil, Dre Quinn, JR Hardrick, and Kameron Cody.

You can’t help but feel Perry-Wright is the one who got away, and would have been a massive swing for the Tigers to pull off.

Clemson has already proven it can compete with some of the top prospects in the field, whether it was victories for Tyler Grisham or Matt Luke, beating out schools like Michigan and Penn State.

It is now a vastly different world when it comes to five-star prospects, with agents, representation, and numerous other complications driving a wedge between some of the competition.

Perry-Wright's recruitment was a roller coaster, and each team hoped it wasn't on the negative side of things, depending on how the pendulum shifted in the final hours.

Different predictions were cast, and each team felt like it was time to claim their top prospect.

The race for his services required constant attention until the very last second, and ultimately, this is how the dominoes fall.

Clemson will have to pivot as the final stages of the 2026 class come to a close, and Perry-Wright's commitment will be another complicated miss that defines how recruitment has shifted in the last several years.

Is this considered a massive loss for Clemson? Yes, but it is much more complicated than that. The Tigers' class is still great, but Perry-Wright's could've made it special.