After landing four-star quarterback Trace Hawkins to start their 2028 recruiting plans on a high note, the Clemson Tigers got some great news on another blue-chip prospect in that class. On Sunday afternoon, four-star interior offensive lineman Sam Walker named Clemson as one of his three finalists. However, the two other teams in contention to land him are two of Clemson's biggest rivals.
Heading into the 2026-27 academic year, these are the finalists for Walke's four-star commitment.
- Clemson Tigers
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
- South Carolina Gamecocks
Walker shared a social media post of him being linked to Clemson, Georgia Tech, and South Carolina.
#AGTG where’s home!!!!🏠 @ChadSimmons_ @247Sports @On3 @GradickSports @CoachUBrown @CoachBelew14 @CoachPostelle @CoachCamBrewer @mauldin_brayden pic.twitter.com/QEf1dPBJvR
— 4🌟Sam “BigSam” Walker 2028 OL (@Matthew29990747) August 2, 2026
Clemson's biggest rival is South Carolina, while Georgia Tech is a massive one for them in the ACC.
According to the 247 Sports Composite, Walker is the No. 12 player from Georgia, the No. 7 interior offensive lineman in the country, and the No. 109 overall prospect in the 2028 recruiting cycle. The Central High School standout from Carrollton, Georgia, has 19 official offers, but is now only looking predominantly at these three schools. Offensive line coach Matt Luke is Walker's primary recruiter.
If there is any more good news for the Tigers, Rivals sees Clemson as a heavy, early lean for Walker.
Matt Luke, Dabo Swinney must seal the deal to land 4-star Sam Walker
Over the years, Clemson has not been as good at recruiting and developing offensive linemen as other programs have. At their peak, the Tigers were proficient in developing along the defensive line. Of course, that went away with Brent Venables taking over at Oklahoma. The good news is Luke is one of the very best in the business at recruiting and developing in the front five. This matters a ton!
Now that the Tigers have Hawkins committed to them, it is only a matter of time before others will join him in Clemson's 2028 class. With Clemson being the early leader for Walker, now is not the time for the Tigers to mess around and let either Georgia Tech or South Carolina get in the way of things. If we needed to monitor one of the two more closely, it would actually have to be Georgia Tech right now.
There are a few reasons for this. One, Carrollton is an exurb of Atlanta near the Alabama border. South Carolina is a good few hours away from Walker's hometown. The second is that Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key was a former offensive lineman. He too is from that part of the country, as Key grew up in suburban Birmingham before playing for Georgia Tech. The third is all about program stability.
For Clemson, Dabo Swinney is an institution. He is the greatest head coach in program history. While Shane Beamer has had some success at South Carolina, he needs help from Costco to sell tickets. Unless Key really wants to leave Atlanta, he is about to establish some great roots in and around North Avenue in Midtown. Luke must prioritize bringing Walker to Clemson to avoid him going to Tech.
Clemson should be pleased to crack Walker's top-three, but must realize there is work to be done.
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