NFL connections and stars abound as Swinney camp hits its stride

Witten walks into camp Wednesday morning (Photo by Merrell Mann).

David Hood · Senior Writer · Wednesday, June 04 2025

CLEMSON – The morning started out overcast and a little cool, giving way to spotty sunshine, but that didn’t mean there weren’t a few stars out and about.

Head coach Dabo Swinney’s high school program pushed into its second day – Tuesday and Wednesday are one-day camps, with the overnight camps starting this weekend on Friday. There were a few holdovers from Tuesday, but for the most part, it was a different cast of characters, and there was plenty to see. So much, in fact, that we are breaking it into different stories (Pt. 1 here).

Let’s start with the linebackers and Cooper Witten, a 2027 composite 5-star out of Argyle (TX) Liberty Christian School. Witten is the son of former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, and it’s evident right off the bat that he’s had good coaching. But he’s also athletic, and that’s why his offer list already includes Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio St., Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas A&M, and, of course, Tennessee, among others. His dad was a star (wearing No. 0) on Rocky Top.

Witten was impressive during drills, prompting one coach to look up while the players went to get water, and say Witten’s footwork was great and it’s easy to see that he has played defensive back (he’s played a lot of safety). As a sophomore, he recorded 45 tackles, one sack, five INTs (2 return TDs), six pass breakups, and one safety. Also caught 15 passes for 263 yards and 7 TDs on 17.5 yards per reception, while adding one kick return TD.

We stayed around long enough to watch the main group go through four drill cycles, and it was easy to believe the reports that he posted a 10.91-second 100-meter time this past spring.

Witten’s group included 2027 linebacker Quinton Cypher, a 2027 4-star out of Raleigh (NC) Millbrook. Cypher already has the frame – he’s 6-2, 220 – and looks almost college-ready from a body standpoint. Clemson and linebackers coach Ben Boulware have already offered, and Florida St., Alabama, Michigan, Georgia, and a bevy of others have also offered.

He has the length that you like, but his footwork doesn’t suffer like a lot of younger players who have to grow into their frame. One thing you have to like is that he also takes in every tidbit from the coaches, and he was asking questions. Very coachable.

Another linebacker was Elijah Chaffin, a 2027 prospect from Mocksville (NC) Davie County. He currently has offers from Appalachian St. and Marshall, and has the size you like (6-4, 215).

The group drew a lot of attention, and I doubt most of them understood that one of their coaches was Levon Kirkland, who knows just a little (ok, a LOT) about playing linebacker at a high level. But at one point, Woody McCorvey (Chief of Staff), Lorenzo Ward (special assistant to the head coach), player personnel members Jordan Sorrells and Zach Fulmer, Boulware, and defensive coordinator Tom Allen, and some guy whose name is on the camp were all watching.

That’s a lot of eyes on one group.

There were also a lot of eyes on the tight ends, and that included Clemson great Dwayne Allen. Allen told us he now lives in San Francisco (on the marina) and is loving life. He saw Swinney drive by on his golf cart and joked, “I had better go kiss the ring” before trying to chase down his former head coach.

As for the prospects, Grant Haviland is a 2027 composite 4-star out of Alpharetta (GA) Milton who boasts offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida St., Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, Tennessee and others. The 6-4, 215-pounder is rated as the nation's No. 11 tight end, the No. 25 player from the state of Georgia's 2027 class and No. 176 nationally.

He showed good ball skills, moved in and out of his cuts and had a nice one-handed grab on an errant throw. As one would expect with his frame, he has long strides, and it’s easy to see him as a downfield, seam threat.

Another prospect we were watching was Cole Crawford out of Cartersville, who plays and is listed by the recruiting sites as a linebacker. However, Crawford was working out with the tight ends and under the watchful eye of tight ends coach Kyle Richardson. As a tight end, he showed good hands and an ability to track the football. He also has that prototypical size (already 6-3, 225) and it will be interesting to see what happens here.