The decision to commit to Clemson was a done deal before he got to campus on Friday.
Thanks to some diligent work by offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell, Clemson was in good position to land four-star offensive guard Matt Bockhorst while he was in Clemson for Junior Day.
TheClemsonInsider spoke with Bockhorst about his decision to commit to the Tigers’ 2017 class.
Here’s what he had to say:
When did you know that Clemson was going to be the place that you wanted to commit to?
Bockhorst: “Well, I guess something that sealed the deal with me — Martin Luther King Day, my team and I had a workout. We weren’t in school or anything, but coach Caldwell kind of made an impromptu visit that morning. In the cold, he came to our workout. Afterwards, he stayed and talked to my coach, not necessarily me, because of recruiting rules and all that stuff, but he talked to my coach for about an hour-and-a-half. Coach (Steve) Specht, he’s not necessarily familiar with the Clemson program and had met coach Caldwell over the years when he was at other schools, but I was talked to coach Specht after their conversation. He said, ‘That’s the type of guy that I want my son to play for, because he gets it.’
“You don’t want to put too much emphasis on the coaches, but I do think where coach Caldwell is at and where coach (Dabo) Swinney is at, it’s a stable position. There’s so much to love about Clemson, so I took a two-day visit this weekend. I was down there on Friday and I was able to meet with a couple of the academic advisers at Vickery Hall and Col. (Sandy) Edge from the business department and just meet everybody. To see how much they love Clemson, it’s not Clemson football, it’s Clemson University. The area of Greenville, South Carolina, it’s a fragment that they carry. The true family that it is, I find myself repeating that constantly. It’s a true family. It’s so hard to explain to people that don’t understand. There’s a ton of things I love about Clemson. There’s just a couple that we’ll discuss today, but there’s a lot that goes into it.”
“I think, when coach Caldwell made that trip up, took time out of his day to come see me all the way up in Ohio, that’s when I kind of knew that if I went to Clemson, I was going to be loved like a son. They’re going to push you, but at the end of the day, it’s a big family.”
When you made the commitment, what all was going on? Where were you and what are some of the details?
Bockhorst: “We were actually in the locker room. We were doing the photo shoots and stuff. Guys, they were getting decked out in everything. You could get all the way (dressed) if you wanted to. I’m not much of a photo taker myself, so I kind of kept those to a minimum. I was talk to coach Swinney over there in one of the corners with my family. Coach Caldwell was over there…I was like, I just want to let you guys know I’m going to give my commitment to Clemson, to play here and go to school.
“They were quite excited, I would say, maybe a little bit more than that. We were just hanging out, it was a great atmosphere. They had a DJ going and everything, so it kind of felt right. I knew I was going to do it during the day, I just didn’t know when. That’s kind of how it went down. I was able to meet coach Swinney’s wife and son. Like I said, going back to the whole family thing, it’s so hard to explain, but it’s true. It’s not just talk about family or using family as a slogan to recruit. It is. That’s what it’s about. That’s what I love. That’s kind of how I gave my commitment.
“I kind of let Noah DeHond in on the secret. Coach (Thomas) Austin, who’s the GA, he was getting the vibe. Because, on Friday, we went to the bookstore and we killed it. Those were some telling signs. But it was great. Chase Brice, Hunter Johnson, guys like that, getting to know them. It was a fantastic visit.”
Your tweet to Trey Smith and Blake Vinson, are those the two main guys you’re going to recruit to join you in that offensive line class with Noah?
Bockhorst: “At this point, I would say yes. They were both on the visit with me. They’re guys that I know can play football at a high level. But they’re not just football players, they’re nice guys. They’re easy to talk to. Those are the guys you’re going to be building bonds with and you’re going to be going to battle…if you can get four good guys on your side, it’s going to help you. I was just able to meet them and now I know what type of guys they are, not just football players. I think their highlight films and offers speak for themselves, as far as football goes. I feel like I have developed good relationships with those guys. Definitely going to be pressing them. We’ll see where it goes. I think I’ve got a good shot. We had a good time together. Just being able to develop those relationships is the most important part. It’s about who you know and I’m going to be hitting it hard, because I like to win. You’ve got to have good players to win.”
With your brother being at Furman and Furman being so close to Clemson, did that play any of a part with you, since y’all will be so close?
Bockhorst: “That definitely did play a part. We’re definitely close. My family is close. It’s kind of funny how it all works out. We’re from Cincinnati, but two of us are playing football down in South Carolina. Being so close to him, I’ll be able to see him on a regular basis. That’s something that is important to me. Just like Clemson is a family, my family is very close. I hold that close to my heart. For it to work out like that, it’s unbelievable. It’s going to be a helluva lot easier on my parents’ side of things, because they won’t have to be driving in opposite directions to see us play. They can kind of kill two birds with one stone, I guess you could say. That was definitely one of the main factors that went into it. It wasn’t necessary a major thing. If I found a better fit elsewhere, that’s how it is. But to find a home in Clemson, you couldn’t have written it out any better.”