Clemson seems to have put its best foot forward to land legacy Jay Schell. The four-star linebacker from Rabun Gap, Ga. was one of the handful of recruits in attendance for the Georgia Southern game last weekend. Not only did Clemson get the victory over the Eagles, but the Tigers have left an indelible impression on the 2028 prospect. It might be enough to hold off Oklahoma and Michigan.
Schell got to be in the locker room right before kickoff, which is usually only reserved for commits, and not prospective recruits. Being a legacy and a top recruiting priority afforded him an opportunity others might not get. "I even got a little heartbeat." Schell told TigerNet's Grayson Mann. "I got a little anxious like I was about to play the game, so it was pretty cool to kind of put myself in the shoes like I'm a Tiger on game day."
After seeing fellow Georgia native linebacker Sammy Brown rally the troops during pre-game, this may make Schell's decision that much harder. By rolling out the red carpet for him and letting him go behind the curtain a bit, this goes to show that Clemson will make exceptions for exceptional players. Clemson deploying this recruiting tactic revealed how much of a priority Schell is for the 2028 class.
Clemson and Dabo Swinney can't afford to let Oklahoma steal Jay Schell away
With his recruitment winding down, it remains to be seen if Clemson and Dabo Swinney will beat out Oklahoma for his four-star services. So far, Schell has visited Michigan in Week 1 and Clemson in Week 2. He will be at Oklahoma this weekend to see the Sooners take on New Mexico in Week 3. All signs point toward him making his decision before the end of the month, if not sooner. Right now, Oklahoma is a slight lean.
Schell grew up in a Clemson household, as his father Matt played quarterback for the Tigers at the turn of the century. His hometown is much closer to Clemson than it is to Norman or Ann Arbor. However, he is a linebacker who could potentially want to grow under Brent Venables, or even see what Kyle Whittingham has to offer. It is why Clemson's sales pitch to him appears to be so pivotal.
"A big kind of sales pitch that Clemson has been pushing is like, where do you want to go if, say, something happens, and you can't play football?," Schell said to TigerNet. "You want to go somewhere where you're happy regardless. And that does tie into the proximity piece, being really close to my house. So they're definitely – that's a part that Clemson is using, which makes 100 percent sense."
Although the impromptu Michigan visit could have thrown a wrench in his recruitment, it looks to be a two-team race between Clemson and Oklahoma. Unless Schell truly wants to go play for Venables at Oklahoma, Clemson will be tough to beat. How his visit to Norman goes may be the deciding factor, but it seems as though Clemson did everything it could during his visit to make sure he will be a Tiger.
Recruiting is an inexact science, but Clemson should be pleased with the efforts it put forth to Schell.
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