Dabo Swinney asked newest commit Watson Young two questions, got the right answers |
Clemson head coach
Dabo Swinney called
Watson Young and asked him two questions, and he got the answers he was looking for.
Young is the 3-star 2024 offensive line prospect out of Central (SC) Daniel, who committed to Clemson last weekend. Young, who had been committed to Appalachian St., heard first from former Daniel coach and current Clemson grad assistant Tyrone Crowder. “It's probably been just a few weeks. I got a text from Coach Crowder, and he was just telling me to keep it up because he knew that they were going to start coming at me a little bit,” Young said. “Because I'd been committed to App St., and he just wanted me to make sure that I'm just available.” How did he react to the offer? “When the offer came, I wasn't really 100% sure at first because obviously, I've made the connection with App St. as many months as I've been committed,” Young said. “I had to take like two days to think about it. And I just felt this way, and I realized that's where I wanted to be.” A call from Swinney helped seal the deal. “He called me and asked me two questions,” Young said. “One, was if it ever been my dream to come play at Clemson. And the other one would be if I had that opportunity, would I take it? And he gave me a couple of days to think about it and just sleep on it. He told me to sleep on it, but I didn't really sleep that much that night. I was a little amped up. And I talked to my parents, and they said I'd be dumb not to take it.” Attending Clemson and playing for the Tigers is a family tradition. Young’s father, Kyle, also is a Daniel High product who's a former All-American lineman at Clemson and currently Senior Associate Athletic Director at Clemson. His uncle, Will, was an All-ACC selection for the Tigers, and Watson's great-grandfather, Ed McClendon, also played at Clemson. “It means a lot, obviously. Just being able to stay home, continue their legacy, it just means a whole lot to me,” Young said. One of five finalists for Mr. Football in South Carolina, Young helped Daniel to the Class AAA state championship on Saturday with a 49-48 win against Camden. It was the Lions' third state title in four years. “It's been pretty hectic. I mean, obviously, when the state championship and the nerves are working up all the way through the game, how close it was,” he said. “But as soon as I committed, it was just a whole lot of texts from friends and family, knowing that they were on my side and supporting my decision. Young held 18 offers, including in-state schools Furman, Coastal Carolina, Charleston Southern and The Citadel, as well as Appalachian State, James Madison, Liberty and Navy, among others. What is Clemson getting in Young? “Someone who's going to go out there and come for everything, try to take as much as I can, take advantage of every day possible, every opportunity I get,” he said.
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