The Clemson football program has added a standout running back to its 2023 signing class.

Jamarius Haynes chose Clemson today, signing with the Tigers on the first day of college football’s early signing period.

Before his public announcement, Haynes was kind enough to speak with The Clemson Insider about his decision.

“Clemson was just a different environment in every aspect,” he told TCI. “The coaches stood out so much.”

The Handley High School (Roanoke, Ala.) product picked up an offer from Clemson on Oct. 22, when he made an unofficial visit to campus for the Syracuse game, then returned to Tiger Town as an official visitor for the South Carolina game the final weekend of November.

Clemson gave Haynes his first offer, and the late bloomer subsequently collected offers from Washington State, Western Kentucky, Coastal Carolina and most recently, Georgia Tech. He visited Georgia Tech over the weekend after receiving an offer from the Yellow Jackets this past Friday, before ultimately opting to officially join Dabo Swinney’s program today.

“I’m very happy to be a Tiger,” he said.

Clemson running backs coach C.J. Spiller headed Haynes’ recruitment for the Tigers, and the strong bond they have built was an important factor in his decision.

“My relationship is beyond any other with Coach Spiller,” he said.

Spiller traveled to see Haynes play in his Class 4A second-round playoff game against T.R. Miller (Brewton, Ala.) on Nov. 11 – when Haynes put on a show, rushing for 231 yards and scoring four touchdowns in a 27-14 win.

The 6-foot, 180-pounder followed that up by rushing for 217 yards and two scores on 30 carries in Handley’s quarterfinal playoff game against Montgomery Catholic. Earlier this season, he put on a historic performance back on Sept. 2, exploding for 476 rushing yards and five touchdowns in Handley’s 54-41 Class 4A, Region 4 win over Jacksonville (Ala.).

What can Clemson fans expect to see from Haynes on the field in the future?

“The fans should expect a hardworking player that is willing to do whatever is needed to win,” he said.

Haynes joins Jarvis Green of Dutch Fork (Irmo, S.C.) as the pair of running backs in Clemson’s 2023 class.

Dear Old Clemson has added the Tiger Sack Pack to our online store.  Save by getting the Two Pack of signed cards from two of the nation’s top defensive ends, Myles Murphy and Xavier Thomas.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. 

Dear Old Clemson is doing NIL the ‘Clemson way’, but we need your help to make sure we build a sustainable, repeatable model that will help keep Clemson competitive with the other top programs around the nation.

Dabo Swinney: “We need your assistance more than ever to provide meaningful NIL opportunities. Tiger Impact, Dear Old Clemson and other collectives allow student-athletes to utilize their voice and platform to maximize their NIL opportunities and strengthen their impact in the community.”

Graham Neff:
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