By Hale McGranahan.
By Hale McGranahan
Three years ago, Travis Blanks arrived to Clemson from North Florida Christian. The Tiger coaching staff now has its sights set on another highly sought after defensive back from the Tallahassee high school.
Korey Charles is a four-star athlete, according to Rivals and 24/7. Scout rates him as a three-star safety. He’s ranked by 24/7 as the No. 150 overall prospect in the class of 2016.
The 5-11, 170-pound rising junior was in Clemson last month, the same day as the All-In Cookout, though he did not attend the event.
“I liked it a lot. It really helped, because I got to see the campus and get that perspective. I saw more than I expected,” Charles said, during a recent interview with TheClemsonInsider.com.
It was the practice facility that impressed him the most.
“I liked the indoor field. That was really nice. That’s the only indoor field I’ve seen with a jumbotron in it,” Charles said. “They had this one little section, right before you go inside — it’s like a little area with tombstones. It’s top [25] teams that they beat. It had the team and the score. I thought that was pretty nice.”
Blanks, who’s a junior nickelback at Clemson, spent some time at Charles’ side.
“He talked to me about Clemson, the coaches. He was pretty much a big help in a positive way,” Charles said.
In addition to the Clemson trip, Charles also visited Auburn, Florida State, Georgia and LSU this summer. He would like to return to Clemson later this fall.
“I talked to coach (Jeff) Scott about going to one of the Clemson games,” he said.
Clemson, LSU and Florida State currently make up his top three. While LSU is perceived as the team to beat, Charles wouldn’t give one school the edge over the others.
“It’s no order. It’s just a top three,” he said. “There’s no order.”
A couple of factors will be kept in mind as he works towards a decision.
“Just pretty much going to a school where I fit in, where I get some playing time, where it’s a good environment and not bad. Just where it’s pretty much home for me,” he said. “I want to be comfortable and be at a place where it feels like home.”
As a sophomore, Charles had 89 tackles, five pass breakups and an interception. On the offensive side of the ball, he caught three passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed seven times for 78 yards and a score.
Clemson is recruiting Charles as an athlete (defensive back or wide receiver).