Clemson defensive end commitment [autotag]Xavier Kelly[/autotag] visited 15 schools before making the decision to jump on board with the Tigers.

Several factors led to him to make the pledge.

“[autotag]Clemson[/autotag] has a family environment. It’s good to be around coaches — if you have a problem outside of football, you want to be able to talk to them — for them to be there for you outside of football,” Kelly said. “I’m very comfortable with the coaches. They produce a lot of d-line NFL players and I’m not too far away from my dad. My dad lives in Savannah, Ga. And they’re in the ACC. That’s a big-time conference.

It’s also where he felt the most comfortable.

Among the Clemson coaches, Kelly is closest with defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who serves as his lead recruiter.

“We get along well. I can just talk to (Venables) about anything. I’m comfortable around him and I know he pushes his players to be a lot better,” Kelly said.

Defensive ends coach Marion Hobby has also played a significant role in his recruitment. Kelly and Hobby have “a good vibe.”

“We get along very well. I’m just really comfortable with him, too. I can pretty much talk to him about anything and I know he produces players,” Kelly said. “He gets in and he’ll be there for them, too.”

Clemson will host him for the Florida State game before he returns in January for an official visit.

Kelly, who won’t begin his senior season at Wichita-East until this Friday, was once committed to Kansas State. He committed to Clemson over a number of schools, including Alabama and Florida State.

“I like how everybody is like an family environment,” he said of Clemson. “I like how everybody is supporting each other like a family and everybody is there you and there for the right reasons. They have good character players.”