Recruiting calendar flips, Elite Junior Day attendees start to emerge |
Let the conversations begin.
The NCAA recruiting calendar begins another chapter tomorrow with the end of the dead period and the start of a contact period that will last through the first few days of February. With that in mind, the Clemson coaching staff will continue the process of confirming recruits who will attend the program’s elite junior day on January 27th. Let’s take a look at the calendar first – we are on the back end of a dead period, which has been in place since December 18th. What is a dead period? A dead period is that period of time when it is not permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on or off the member institution’s campus or to permit official or unofficial visits by prospective student-athletes to the institution’s campus. A contact period will begin at midnight tomorrow night (the first minute of January 12th) and last until midnight on February 3rd. What is a contact period? A contact period is that period of time when it is permissible for authorized athletics department staff members to make in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations. February 4th is a quiet period, which is that period of time when it is permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts only on the member institution’s campus. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts or evaluations may be made during the quiet period. Feb. 5th through March 3rd is a dead period, March 4th through April 14th is a quiet period, and then April 15th through May 25th is a contact period. May 26th-29th is a dead period, May 30th-June 23rd is a quiet period, June 24th-July 24th is a dead period, and July 25th-31st is a quiet period. The coaches will host that Elite Junior Day, as noted earlier, on January 27th. They will invite the top junior prospects on their board, and the first invite I took note of was Jaylan Beckley, a 2025 prospect out of Addison (TX) Trinity Christian Academy. Beckley texted me to let me know he was coming and to let me know he had earned his fourth star (I told him after seeing him in camp it was only a matter of time). He has a Clemson offer, along with Auburn, Georgia, Florida State, LSU, Missouri, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma, among others. Beckley competed at Dabo Swinney’s high school camp last June, and I wrote this about him then: “The visit was great. Clemson is a beautiful place,” Beckley told TigerNet. “The facilities are top-notch, for sure. I noticed a lot of really intentional wording on the walls. One phrase in particular that I saw more than once was, As a man thinketh so is he." While other recruits are looking for photo opportunities or wanting to know what a school can send their way, Beckley instead took the time to figure out what that phrase means and why Swinney would put that on a wall. “Well, I know the phrase is from scripture. To me, it's just a reminder to focus on seeing myself as God sees me. If I can do that, there should be nothing that I can't accomplish,” Beckley said. “The conversations with the coaches were all really good. Authentic, would be the word I use to describe the staff at Clemson. From Coach Swinney on down, everyone seemed to be very genuine and super down-to-earth. I love that. They remind me a lot of my high school coaching staff! God is first, then family, then football. They definitely made me feel at home and let me know that they want me to be a Tiger.” It didn’t take the Tigers long to pull the trigger on an offer. Another one that will be on hand is 2025 defensive end Ari Watford out of Norfolk (VA) Maury. He recently narrowed his top schools list and included Clemson in that group. The list had six schools, with Clemson, Penn State, Syracuse, Ohio State, Virginia Tech and South Carolina. Watford earned first-team All-State on a state championship Maury (VA) team last season. He tallied 13 sacks and 17 TFLs as a sophomore. Watford has camped at Clemson in the summer and visited Death Valley during the season as well. Another one I would consider a headliner is 4-star defensive end Bryce Davis out of a program Clemson is very familiar with – Greensboro (NC) Grimsley. Davis camped at Clemson last summer and was back on campus to see the Tigers take on North Carolina in November. Another attendee I learned about this morning is 4-star safety Jordan Young out of Monroe (NC). Young attended Swinney's camp last June and walked out with an offer from safeties coach Mickey Conn. Alabama, North Carolina, Florida St., Notre Dame, Southern Cal, and Tennessee were early offers, while Texas and Auburn offered last fall. Speaking of recruiting, it’s almost time for the 2024 Chick-fil-A Recruiting Wrap Up, hosted by the Fort Hill Clemson Club. Join the club as they celebrate Clemson University's newest recruits with video highlights, commentary from Head Coach Dabo Swinney and the assistant football coaches, dinner from Chick-fil-A, and an online auction. 2024 Chick-fil-A Recruiting Wrap Up WHEN: Wednesday, February 7, 2024 TIME: 6:00-8:00 P.M. Doors open at 5:00. Time is subject to change. WHERE: Poe Indoor Practice Facility for Clemson Football WHY: To raise need-based scholarship dollars for students in Oconee & Pickens Counties and Pendleton High School to attend Clemson University. COST: $80 per person The 2024 Recruiting Wrap Up is brought to you by Chick-fil-A of Seneca and Chick-fil-A of Clemson.
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