By Hale McGranahan.

Brian Dawkins Jr. is excited for what the future has in store for him.

After graduating from Valor Christian in Littleton, Colorado, Dawkins will spend the fall at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia. In 2016, he’ll enroll at Clemson.

“I’m going to be greyshirting, going to prep school first, then I’m going to be there next year,” Dawkins told TheClemsonInsider, during an interview earlier this week.

On Saturday, he was in Clemson for the Orange and White game.

“It was a really great time,” Dawkins said. “I got to spend some time with some of the players and some of the coaches, got to learn more about the Clemson atmosphere.

“And I got to see my competition once I go over there, and just get a feel of what Clemson is all about. And I also got to spend some time with my dad. It was a great time.”

His dad, of course, is former Clemson standout and NFL All-Pro safety Brian Dawkins. Father and son, along with the input from mom, reached the decision to take this route a couple of months ago.

“We made the decision that it would be good for me to go to Fork Union and get ahead, get some classes and get prepared for college and it will help me have a much smoother transition going to college, to Clemson,” Dawkins said.

The 5-9, 175-pound cornerback looks forward to the opportunity.

“It’s definitely a blessing. The fact that I can go ahead and get these academics right, then from there, I can go play D-1 ball at Clemson University, which is a dream come true to me,” he said. “Going up there, doing my best and showing everybody over there that I came here to contribute to Clemson’s organization.”

As a senior, Dawkins had over 100 tackles, six interceptions and forced six fumbles.