Several of the nation's top recruits are in Clemson, S.C., this weekend for their official visits. Dabo Swinney and Clemson football are looking to grow this 2026 recruiting class from 15 to hopefully over 20 after official visit season is over and the head coach gets to be a little more selective.
With a healthy-sized class already, Swinney has limited spots available in 2026 and he needs to choose wisely for the remaining scholarships.
There will be 31 prospects to focus on this weekend and at least 20 of them are rated as four-stars by 247Sports or other recruiting databases.
These are the three guys who I believe have the best chance of committing after this weekend.
1. JR Hardrick, 3-star EDGE
No, this isn't exactly the star-studded name that Clemson fans are probably hoping for, but it feels like there's a good chance that JR Hardrick joins the Tigers' 2026 class after a good visit.
Hardrick recently received a Clemson crystal ball on 247Sports. He's ranked the No. 99 edge rusher in the class and he has official visits to Georgia Tech and Louisville planned after this weekend. We'll see if Dabo considers him a take, but I'd bet he lands him if he puts on the full-court press.
2. Carter Scruggs, 4-star OL
This is more of a gut feeling than anything else, but it feels like Clemson has the upper-hand in this recruitment and getting that first visit may be all Carter Scruggs needs to see before committing.
The four-star from Leesburg, Va., has visits to Michigan, Penn State, and Georgia planned still, but we've seen recruits cancel the remaining trips in the past after great visits. Dabo will hope that happens here, but it'll take a flawless campus visit this weekend. Having some Clemson commits in his ear will help.
Scruggs is the No. 164 overall recruit in the 2026 class.
3. Tylan Wilson, 4-star S
Clemson already has a couple of elite defensive backs committed in 2026, but it could finish its secondary class with a four-star like Tylan Wilson.
The Mississippi-based prospect recently released a top schools list that had Clemson and he only has one other official visit planned to Texas A&M over the next month. That means that a great trip to Clemson could sway him to commit on the spot, although there could be more officials in the works.
Wilson is the No. 220 overall recruit in the class as well as the 17th-best safety.