Swinney's speech lands a former NFL player and his son

Brayden Jacobs was won over by Dabo Swinney on his visit.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Jan 30 07:00:03 GMT-04:00 2024

Dabo Swinney’s speech to the recruits Saturday afternoon was so good that one former NFL running back was ready to commit. Instead, it was his son who committed to the Tigers.

Elite Retreat visitor Brayden Jacobs, a 4-star offensive lineman out of Buford (GA) announced the news on Sunday afternoon. Jacobs is a unanimous 4-star-rated prospect and ranked as high as No. 103 overall with Rivals (No. 12 OT).

He is the son of former NFL running back Brandon Jacobs, who played college football at Auburn and Southern Illinois. Jacobs visited for the Florida State game last year and also made stops at Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Tennessee.

Jacobs told TigerNet that Swinney’s speech to the recruits and their families hit the mark.

“At the end of the Elite Junior Day, before we went to his house, he gave a very long presentation about what Clemson really is,” Jacobs told TigerNet. "Clemson is different. It's special. It's about brotherhood and family, and it has the most family feel that I've ever had. And that's really when I knew I wanted to go there. Even Jaylan Beckley committing, that helped me decide that I wanted to go there because it just felt right.”

Jacobs’ father made the trip, and the two called home.

“I talked it over with him, and then we called my mom talking about it, and both of them said if this is where I want to go and, I'm sure that I can do it. And I did it,” he said.

Jacobs’ father was ready to commit earlier in the day.

“My dad, in the meeting, whenever Coach Swinney finished, he told Coach Swinney that if he was a player, he would have just committed,” Jacobs said. “So we were eating dinner at Coach Swinney’s house, and Coach Swinney said, ‘You heard your dad, right?’ And I said, ‘Yeah.’ And Coach Swinney said, ‘Even your dad said he would commit.’ And that’s when I told him, ‘I am coming to Clemson coach.’ He got all excited and told me to say it louder.”

Jacobs’ relationship with new offensive line coach Matt Luke also made a difference.

“I have got a chance to meet Coach Luke. I've been up there twice since he's been coach,” he said. “I actually really like him. I like him more than Coach Austin because he sent more people to the NFL, and he has a genuine connection with all of his offensive linemen on and off the field.”

Jacobs said he thinks the Tigers aren’t done with the offensive line, but he also likes the 2025 recruiting class as a whole.

“I think we'll definitely get one or two more. We have Gideon (Davidson) and Blake (Hebert), the quarterback that's also committed,” he said. “I think Clemson has a really good chance to be the No. 1 2025 recruiting class.”