The decommitment bug touched Clemson recently when offensive lineman Jaylan Beckley of Addison, Texas, revealed that he was withdrawing his pledge to the Tigers, which he made in January after a junior day visit.
In making his announcement, Beckley (6-4, 290) praised head coach Dabo Swinney, lead recruiter Garrett Riley, and the whole coaching staff.
“There are so many people that took the time to recruit me and made a sincere effort to build a relationship with me and my family,” Beckley said in a statement. “I met some incredible people at Clemson, including the other recruits, awesome Clemson fans, reporters and more.”
Beckley stated that he spent considerable time reflecting on his decision, praying about it, and discussing it with his family.
“I’ve decided I need more time to make this very big decision about where I will spend the next three to five years for my college career,” he wrote. “The final decision was mine alone, and I do not take it lightly. I’m extremely blessed to have some incredible opportunities ahead. My recruitment is officially reopened.”
Beckley was one of three offensive line commitments for the Tigers. His departure leaves them with 10 commitments in the 2025 class.
Tiger trails
One of the most talked-about prospects in the 2025 class is Charlotte’s OT David Sanders (6-6, 270). Some consider him the top prospect in the class. Clemson and USC have been pursuing him for several years, and they were named to his top six list on Saturday.
Along with the Tigers and Gamecocks, Sanders mentioned Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, and Tennessee. Sanders visited Clemson and USC last spring and attended games last season. He saw the Tigers play Florida State and the Gamecocks face Jacksonville State. In 2023, he also visited Tennessee, Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Southern California, and Florida State.
Addison said he has plans to make two trips to Clemson. He will visit on March 11 and then he will return an official visit the first weekend in June. He also visited Clemson for the Florida State game last season. He has also scheduled spring visits for Alabama March 8, Georgia Tech March 9, Florida March 12 and April 13 for their spring game, and Oregon April 24. He also plans to visit Florida State and Penn State.
USC prospect
South Carolina has some momentum with one of the nation’s top linebacker prospects, Tavion Wallace (6-1, 218) of Jesup, Ga. Shane Beamer and linebackers coach Clayton White still have plenty of work to do in this recruiting case, but they are in the mix to the point Wallace plans at least two more visits with them before rendering a decision.
In January, Wallace made visits to Florida, Florida State and Georgia. Last season, he went to all of Kentucky’s games to watch his brother Trevin, who was a linebacker for the Wildcats and is at the NFL Combine this week. The Wildcats are also a factor with the younger Wallace.
Wallace also has garnered offers from Tennessee, Missouri, Georgia Tech, Arkansas, Louisville, UCF, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Memphis, FAU and Mississippi State.
