Clemson has ground to make up in recruiting, but it has begun to the lay the foundation for its 2028 class. Although four-star quarterback Trace Hawkins is the only player committed to Clemson in that cycle, he was joined by a slew of other notable recruits for the Tigers' home opener versus Georgia Southern last weekend. Give it time, but the pieces will start to fall into place for the Tigers shortly.
Headlining last weekend's visitors was four-star legacy linebacker Jay Schell. He is expected to make his big decision here soon. Schell visited with Michigan in Week 1 and will be at Oklahoma in Week 3. Whether or not Clemson rolling out the red carpet for him pans out, we could be seeing other players choosing to be Hawkins' Tigers teammate in short order. Apparently, the vibes were high on Saturday.
Here is a list of 2028 prospects that The Clemson Insider confirmed were in attendance for Week 2.
- Four-star QB commit Trace Hawkins (Calhoun, GA)
- Four-star LB Jay Schell (Rabun Gap, GA)
- Four-star CB Domonic Williams Jr. (Jacksonville, NC)
- Four-star WR Zyon Robinson (McEachern, GA)
- Three-star WR Kaydan Whiteside (Asheville, NC)
- Three-star TE Wright Martin (Christ Presbyterian Academy, TN)
- Three-star RB Michael Martin (Southside Christian, SC)
- Three-star CB Zion Malloy (Page, NC)
- OL Grant Farrell (Glynn Academy, GA)
- In-state LB Hayden Schwabb (Florence Christian)
- In-State DB Desiray Christian (Emerald)
If key players like Schell and four-star cornerback Domonic Williams Jr. sign up for the cause, then the floodgates could potentially open up for Clemson in the 2028 recruiting department. Having a quarterback committed already is a huge positive, but getting any or all of these prospects who were in attendance to join Hawkins' ranks would be incredible. Clearly, Clemson impressed these recruits.
The foundation of Clemson's next recruiting class is being built right now
With Hawkins to serve as the first cornerstone, it will be interesting to see if guys like Schell and Williams want to be bedrock upon which this class is built. Although Schell seems to be the next domino to fall, either to Clemson or Oklahoma in all likelihood, Williams' recruitment is far more undecided. He has 26 offers including ones to Auburn, Duke, and Florida State outside of Clemson.
While the 2027 class has largely taken shape, these early-season home games have never been more important for prospective 2028 recruits. First impressions are everything. Although winning games where key recruits are attending is always preferred, it may be more about seeing the bigger picture of what Clemson has to offer than anything. Schell sees the vision, but what about the others?
In time, Hawkins will not have to do all the internal recruiting himself as the lone piece of the 2028 class. Yes, he will still end up being a pillar upon which everything this Clemson class will be based on. However, Hawkins is not going to have to do it alone for much longer. In the event that Schell does pick Clemson over Oklahoma in the coming days and weeks, he will have his defensive counterpart.
All it may take is one more domino to fall before Clemson truly starts to get its 2028 rolling downhill.
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