No Pressure: Top 2027 prospects shine at defensive back at Swinney camp

Semaj Stanford was one of the top performers Saturday (Photo by Merrell Mann).

Grayson Mann · Staff Writer · Saturday, June 07 2025

CLEMSON – No pressure.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney’s high school camp, in his own words, is all about football and making players better than they were before they arrived on campus. But for some prospects, camp is a chance to impress the coaches enough to pick up a coveted Clemson offer – the coaches want to see a prospect in person before extending an offer, and they know what they are working towards.

Swinney began his day by parking his golf cart next to where the defensive backs were stationed, and where he goes, plenty are to follow.

In addition to Swinney, Tom Allen, who typically moves from spot to spot, took his time evaluating the top group of corners. He was joined by Kevin Kelly (new Clemson Director of Player Evaluation & Acquisition), who stood as close as possible to observe this group, rapidly taking notes with each passing repetition. Eventually Lorenzo Ward, Woody McCorvey and Zach Fulmer all stopped by to see the group.

Cornerbacks coach Mike Reed and safeties coach Mickey Conn had a lot to like from their top group.

Four-star Tulsa (Oklahoma) Broken Arrow defensive back Semaj Stanford immediately jumped out from that group. Stanford is the No. 2 player in Oklahoma (On3) and No. 170 in the country (Rivals). It was easy to see why many of the top schools in that part of the country have already offered the 2027 prospect.

Stanford is smooth in everything he does. He has good footwork and is able to quickly flip his hips to change direction. In one drill we watched, the back had to change direction three times before sprinting to high point the ball. His ability to get vertical did not disappoint.

We watched one-on-ones for just a minute, and Stanford locked down the receiver both times. His first rep was against an outside receiver, who never had a chance at the ball, drawing ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from parents and high school coaches assembled on the sidelines.

One bystander told him, “No pressure. You know what you’re working for.” He already has offers from Oklahoma, Miami, Texas A&M, LSU, Miami and a host of others, and another may soon join those ranks.

Another 2027 defensive back was 3-star DB Akedran “AK” Crumel of Clayton (NC), and he arrived on campus with a sense of familiarity. He was on campus for the Tigers’ “underclass experience,” getting a look at the operation with some of the top 2027 prospects in the country. Crumel boasts offers from Ohio State, North Carolina, South Carolina, and other top programs.

Crumel’s footwork and control impressed, able to quickly pivot his hips in whichever direction called for it. He flashed that same control in Charlotte’s Under Armour camp, and we got another look at that growing talent on Saturday morning.

Another top corner who popped on our radar was 2027 four-star DB Bryson Brown of Broken Arrow (OK), whose length and ability stood out among the top corners.

His big strides allow him to cover plenty of ground, and he can burst with plenty of speed to chase down deflections.

Brown holds offers from South Carolina, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Penn State, and many other top programs.

One tight end who might be flying under the radar is 2027 tight end Matthew McIntyre of Florence (AL) Mars Hill Bible School. McIntyre boasts offers from UAB, Troy, Vanderbilt, and West Virginia.

We watched him work on individual drills, and his routes were sharp, and he wasn’t wasting steps on his release.

The catch of the day might have come from him, seeking an out route during the indoor routes on air drill.

From our angle, it looked like a poor throw and a wasted rep, but the Alabama tight end extended his hands out and narrowly came down with the catch, dragging his feet by the sideline.

To make matters better for him, he smoothly dodged a parent and got Lonnie Galloway hyped up.

Wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham hosted two prospects in his A Group that are worth noting, and one of them is local.

Tajeh Watson-Martin is a 2027 wide receiver/defensive back out of Belton-Honea Path (SC). I’ve seen him play in person a few times and I like him as a defensive back, but he was with Grisham’s group Saturday. He snagged his share of interceptions last season at defensive back, and has good hands. I didn’t get to see him in a lot of 1-on-1 action in camp but have seen enough in person to know he can play at the next level.

He has received offers from Appalachian State, Penn State, Duke, and Wake Forest, as well as some smaller schools.

A top 4-star 2027 target was Jabari Watkins (JB) out of Thomasville (GA) Thomas County. He’s another one that drew Swinney and several of the coaches over to watch, and he didn’t disappoint. He’s listed at 6-2, and was adept at high-pointing the ball. A key factor in that is being able to come to a full stop, turn, and jump without losing balance – something we often see from many of the players working out – but he made it look effortless.

He has received offers from many of the major players, including Georgia, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Pittsburgh, and Wisconsin. Like the others, he was there for a reason.

No pressure.