Tigers grab another star out of Georgia with the help of a President |
Clemson is once again a major player in the state of Georgia, and it was a talk with a President that helped seal the deal.
Clemson publicly landed another top prospect from the state of Georgia when 2023 4-star defensive end AJ Hoffler (6-5 240) of Atlanta (GA) Woodward Academy announced his commitment to the Tigers on Tuesday. The recruiting battle for Hoffler basically boiled down to the Tigers and Ohio State. Clemson, however, was his only official visit which he made the weekend of June 3rd, and that was a big step toward his ultimate decision. “I chose Clemson because of the family atmosphere and the way they treated my mom, my dad, my grandparents, and everyone around me, including me. It was just us having a good feel there, getting to meet a bunch of important people, that’s probably the main thing,” Hoffler said. He made the announcement on his mother’s birthday. “I think I just didn’t have a reason to take any longer to make a commitment. And I felt like I was ready to go and I knew where I wanted to be, so I figured I'll just announce it earlier,” Hoffler said. “I planned on having it on my birthday, but I figured if I'm announcing it earlier. I'll do it on my mom’s birthday. So that's kind of the thought process that I had.” Hoffler made multiple unofficial visits to Clemson as well during the process, so he had a very good feeling about the school and the program as he worked his way down his list of opportunities. “I would just say I just felt at home, and I know that aside from football, they will prepare me for a better life,” Hoffler said. “And then the school itself, if you were to take football away, I think they would do the best job preparing me for life off the field.” Clemson defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall built a strong relationship with Hoffler during the recruiting process, and he’s excited about the opportunity to be coached by him and the opportunity for some early playing time with the Tigers losing several players from the defensive end positions. “That’s something that I looked at,” Hoffler said. “It wasn’t too high on my list, but it was definitely something I looked at as far as considering Clemson, because it is something that I love to play as a freshman, and I know they’re losing a bunch of guys. So that open spot is definitely intriguing. It wasn’t too high, it wasn’t a deciding factor, was on my list of things to consider for them.” He said he knew Clemson was home during a March visit, a visit in which he met Clemson University president Jim Clements. “The third time I was there. I don't think I told any media people. I think somehow media people found out, but I tried to keep it as quiet as possible,” he said. “But it was probably that time because I got to meet with the president and it was a surprise. I've never met a president before, so I don't know how they normally do things. But it was the coaching staff and the full-circle buy-in to the football program from the coaches and the administration.” Hoffler is the second defensive end commitment for Clemson in a class in which they are expected to sign three. He’s the 13th commitment overall for the 2023 class and the sixth from Georgia. They hope to add number seven Wednesday afternoon when DT Stephiylan Green of Rome announces his commitment decision. “It’s cool because we all kind of met each other earlier in the month and now half of them are committed,” Hoffler said. “We have been trying to keep it was quiet as possible and not announce it, trying to dodge crystal balls and projections but still try to keep our side of the commitment. We are all just growing as friends and stuff. It’s been a lot of fun.” 2023 Clemson commitments AVIEON TERRELL CB 6-0 170 ATLANTA, GA
BRANDEN STROZIER CB 6-2 175 ALPHARETTA, GA
DAVID OJIEGBE DE 6-3 235 WASHINGTON, DC
AJ HOFFLER DE 6-5 240 COLLEGE PARK, GA
VICTOR BURLEY DT 6-4 278 WARNER ROBINS, GA
JAMAL ANDERSON LB 6-4 195 HOSCHTON, GA
DEE CRAYTON LB 6-2 215 ALPHARETTA, GA
IAN REED OT 6-5 310 AUSTIN, TX
CHRISTOPHER VIZZINA QB 6-4 207 BIRMINGHAM
KYLEN WEBB SAF 6-1 180 SARASOTA, FL
OLSEN HENRY TE 6-4 210 NAPLES, FL
MARKUS DIXON TE 6-5 230 WARMINSTER, PA
NOBLE JOHNSON WR 6-3 205 ROCKWALL, TX
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