By Hale McGranahan.

On Friday, Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables was by Cranford Senior High School in New Jersey. He offered junior offensive tackle Will Fries later that night.

“Coach Venables called me on the phone. I know he stopped by the school earlier that day. He offered and I was really excited about that, and it was great to talk to coach,” Fries told TheClemsonInsider, during a recent interview.

Before speaking with Venables, the 6-foot-6, 270-pound prospect had no prior contact with Clemson.

“I know it’s obviously a great situation,” Fries said. “They have 10 wins every season for the past four years. They’re a great program and it’s something that I want to really do more research on and get to a visit down there.”

Fries also holds offers from Boston College, Duke, Army and UMass.

Coaches from Penn State, Tennessee and Duke have also been by Fries’ school during the contact period. Maryland, Rutgers and Miami are planning to send coaches by during the contact period.

“It’s a little too early to say,” Fries said, when asked about favorites. “I’m going to wait until the spring evaluation period, then cut my list from there.”