Clemson Football Recruiting: Dillon Alfred, Hardy Watts, Zae Thomas

We have about two months remaining before most high school football teams begin their 2024 season.

Many college prospects want to make their decisions before their season begins, so we can expect quite a few announcements in the coming weeks.

Until recently, it appeared that 2025 receiver Dillon Alfred was comfortable as an Ole Miss commitment. Then he showed up to camp at Clemson.

On Monday, Alfred de-committed from the Rebels. Later in the day, he announced a scholarship offer from Clemson Football.

Alfred is 5’-11” and 170 pounds and is from Saraland High School in Alabama. He is a 4-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite.

Clemson is trying to makeover its offensive line and a prime target for Matt Luke is Hardy Watts, who has wrapped up his official visits. As expected, a decision will be announced soon.

Watts is 6’-6” and 290 pounds. He is an interior line prospect from Brookline, Massachusetts.

Another of Clemson Football’s open offers, Zae Thomas, has announced that he will make his college choice public this Sunday, June 30th.

Thomas is only considering two schools: Clemson and Florida State.

Thomas is a 6’-2” and 190 pounds. He plays at American Heritage High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is a 4-star safety prospect in the 247Sports Composite.

2026 offensive tackle prospect Maxwell Riley has announced his Top 7 teams. He has included Clemson Football on his list.

Riley is 6’-5” and 263 pounds. He is rated as a 4-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite and ranked 57th overall regardless of position. He plays for Avon Lake High School in Ohio.

Clemson Football offered a scholarship to 2026 quarterback Tait Reynolds this month. Reynolds was once considered most likely to play baseball in college. He has been committed to Arizona State in baseball, but with his football recruitment taking off, he has decided to re-open his options.

Clemson has taken dual-sport commitments before, such as Will Taylor and Kyle Parker. Both Taylor and Parker played quarterback for Clemson Football (Taylor later switched to wide receiver).

2026 prospect Samari ‘Smoke’ Matthews is also narrowing his choices, but only to a Top 11.

Matthews plays at Hough High School in Cornelius, North Carolina, where he was teammates with Clemson Football kicker Nolan Hauser. He is a 6’-0”, 180-pound corner prospect ranked 88th overall in the 247Sports Composite.