Swinney Camp Insider V: Linebacker brothers bring the heat as camp ramps up

2027 four-star LB Brayton Feister was Friday afternoon's standout

Grayson Mann · Staff Writer · Friday, June 06 2025

Dabo Swinney's high school camp sessions extended into the weekend, and the temperature rose with it.

Friday’s camp session marked the start of the overnight groups, keeping talented prospects on campus for the next few days.

Let’s start with the quarterbacks, where offensive coordinator Garrett Riley has yet to pull the trigger on a 2027 offer. A few quarterbacks have rotated through camp already, and today it was the turn of Charlie Foulke IV out of Philadelphia (PA) St. Josephs Prep.

He already has offers from Maryland, Miami, Georgia, Pitt, UNC, Syracuse, and Virginia Tech, among others. Foulke attended Penn State’s camp on June 1.

Foulke spent time in conversation with Riley and spins a nice ball. He has touch on the deep ball and puts enough juice on the short and intermediate throws. Shows good footwork while throwing out of the pocket.

Linebackers coach Ben Boulware hosted a few intriguing prospects, including a set of brothers in Brayton Feister and Brydon Feister.

Brayton is a 2027 4-star prospect out of Akron (OH) Archbishop Hoban whose offer list includes Penn St., Michigan, Louisville, Oregon, and Southern Cal. He is intriguing because most outlets see him as a linebacker, but the past few seasons (due to injuries at his school) he has had to play running back for his high school. That means there isn’t a lot of film of him at linebacker, so making the camp circuit is important.

With these reps stacking in importance, he didn’t disappoint and drew a crowd with him.

Brayton has the build, but also the fundamentals that pair with an impressive stature, standing 6-3 and his last listed weight was 230 pounds. We were walking over to the linebacker's spot, and two parents walking by said, “There are a couple of monsters over there.”

Tom Allen, Swinney, Kevin Kelly (new Clemson Director of Player Evaluation & Acquisition), Boulware, and several other members of the defensive staff watched a rep, and then conversed about what they saw. What’s intriguing about the running back side of this is the way he moves on the field, which makes you think of a tailback.

That could be to his benefit, able to read certain run schemes well that pair with the athleticism we saw on display.

Brayton took over at running back last season and rushed for 1,583 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2024. He’s hoping for more balance in his junior season to showcase his defensive potential.

Brydon is a 2028 athlete who has already drawn an offer from Kentucky. He is listed at 6-3, 210 pounds, but my guess is he’s closer to 220. The younger Feister brother also impressed, with a similar build and speed, as the siblings stood out amongst the crowd in this afternoon’s session. It’s rare to see someone his size turn on a dime like a smaller player.

Another intriguing linebacker on hand was an under-the-radar guy in Praise Chane of Rabun Gap-Nacoochee in Georgia. The class of 2027 prospect has 14 offers but most of the smaller variety, including JMU, Georgia Southern, and Tennessee-Martin. However, he performed well at Tennessee’s camp last week and was looking to turn a few heads this week. His film shows that he likes to hit, and he is explosive. He showed that explosiveness in front of Boulware, and he reminds me of Jalen Williams (remember him?) the first time I saw him in camp. A hitter.

Rabun Gap brought a slew of impressive players, and one of those was 2028 linebacker Jay Schell, who already stands 6-3 and checks in at 205. Schell is a Clemson legacy (his dad is Matt Schell) and had some smaller offers before starting to blow up the past few weeks. He now has offers from Wake Forest, Tennessee, and Texas A&M and will add more.

*Over in Mickey Conn’s safety group, 4-star 2027 prospect Jayden Aparicio-Bailey out of Birmingham (AL) Oak Mountain was on hand but didn’t work out. He has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Oregon, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, among others. He is in the middle of a busy early part of June, with unofficial stops at Georgia [June 1], Florida [June 3], South Carolina [June 5], Clemson [June 6], Tennessee [June 7], Oregon [June 9], Auburn [June 12] and LSU [June 20].

Bailey was not dressed out for camp, but we spotted him walking around, taking in the sights and sounds of the practice.

Perhaps the staff has what they need and wanted him on campus to deliver some good news.

Class of 2027 four-star WR Aden Starling of Pearland (TX) Shadow Creek, who is also currently committed to Houston, was on campus today. He worked out with Tyler Grisham’s top group, and wasted no time proving he belonged with the best.

The first drill we observed also happened to be at the time Swinney’s golf cart came into focus, driving over to check out the receivers. Before checking out Starling, Swinney teamed up with former Tiger wideout and now Howard receivers coach Artavis Scott. The pair delivered instructions and seemed to be all smiles, reunited for these moments.

Swinney turned his attention to Starling, who seemed impressed during a footwork drill that emphasized control and not wasting steps. Leading the charge for his group, there was a certain precision that set a high standard for the rest of the group, with Grisham observing with a calm demeanor. There was a quiet confidence about Starling, also displaying a unique catch radius that allowed him to snare some balls that weren't exactly placed perfectly.

*David Hood contributed to this story*