Tigers kick off big recruiting weekend with the addition of Georgia linebacker

Allen is shown here at Dabo Swinney's high school camp in June

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri Jul 27 08:01:03 GMT-05:00 2018

Picking up a commitment from one of the nation’s top players isn’t a bad way to kick off a big recruiting weekend.

Four-star 2020 Fort Valley (GA) Peach County linebacker Sergio Allen publicly announced his pledge via social media Thursday night. Allen made the decision while on an unofficial visit to the Clemson campus with his mom. The commitment comes a night before the All In Cookout, the Tigers’ final recruiting event before the start of fall camp.

Allen said he had a feeling a commitment would happen on the visit but he wanted his mother to agree with his decision before making the pledge.

"She really liked the academics, she loved the facilities and the coaches, the players, she loved it all," Allen said. "She loved the staff. She felt like it was a family atmosphere there. I wasn't trying to push her at all. I wanted her to make a final decision and I knew she would be brutally honest, and that's what I wanted. If she's not comfortable there, I'm not comfortable. She felt comfortable enough to give me the go-ahead and I went ahead and pulled the trigger."

Allen and his mother arrived on campus around 10 AM and toured the academic side of campus as well as the facilities. They also met with the coaches and once he got the nod from his mom, Allen said he met again with his recruiters and eventually with head coach Dabo Swinney.

"I told Coach Todd) Bates and I told Coach (Brent) Venables and we headed back to the meeting that they were having," Allen said. "Kind of sounded like a game. Everybody started yelling congratulations. I felt a warm welcome. Everybody came and gave me a hug and told me welcome to the family. Dabo was all smiles and said he was glad to have me and I'm just ready to start recruiting for the class now."

Last season Allen totaled 114 tackles with 13 sacks. He also returned a pick for a score. He's watched the Clemson linebackers play a lot over the years and he sees the right fit for himself at inside linebacker.

"I know that Coach Venables likes to blitz and that's something I love to do," he said. "I'll play anywhere he wants me to. I'm going to give it my all for whatever position I end up playing. I'm just looking to get on the field and provide for the team."