Clemson hosted a star-studded list of visitors last weekend for the program’s underclassmen day, headlined by the nation’s top-ranked prospect in the 2025 class regardless of position.

Providence Day School (Charlotte, N.C.) five-star offensive lineman David Sanders returned to campus Saturday with his parents and had nothing but positive things to say about his latest experience in Tiger Town.

“Overall I enjoyed my experience at Clemson. It was a wonderful experience,” he told The Clemson Insider. “Overall the Clemson visit was amazing. I got to see all the facilities, got to talk about the NIL programs, PAW Journey, everything like that. So, I really enjoyed being around the program and the coaches. I got to spend a lot of time with Coach Austin (offensive line coach Thomas Austin) in the team meeting room and the offensive line meeting room, which is actually such a cool experience, just being in there with the actual players, getting to watch film from the days before practice and getting to see what they get to talk about, like the football terms and everything like that.

“It seemed like I caught on pretty well. Coach Austin was pretty impressed because I was able to call out some of the plays they were running during practice from the team meeting in the morning. So, I really enjoyed that whole experience that I had that day and it was just a great opportunity to be with Clemson.”

Sanders – the No. 1 overall prospect in the country for the 2025 class, per 247Sports – was on campus for an extended period of time Saturday, from 8 a.m. to around 5:30 p.m.

The best of the day, in his opinion, was how the Tigers really made him feel like part of the team.

“I really enjoyed everything about the visit, but I think me being able to be right up in front with the whole entire team,” he said. “They let me go into the huddle, they let me go on the field, they let me go in the team meeting room, so I felt like they showed me a lot of love, just showing me that I’m one of their top guys that they want. So, it was a cool opportunity to do that, and that was definitely the highlight.”

The 6-foot-7, 260-pound rising junior has traveled to Clemson multiple times in the past, including a couple of times last spring before attending the NC State game at Death Valley last October.

This time around, Sanders, his parents and Dabo Swinney had the chance to spend more quality time together.

“It was amazing, actually,” Sanders said of being around the Tigers’ head coach. “The other two times I’ve been to Clemson, it’s been more so just a meet-and-greet type of thing. But this time, I actually got to sit down with him and talk to him, and he was with my family which was really cool honestly because he was able to not only understand me as an athlete but understand me as a person. He got to talk to me about things I like to do outside of football and things like that.

“So, I think the spring visits for me, that’s what it’s mostly been about — being able to build that relationship with these coaches outside of football. Because it seemed like he really wanted to get to know me as a person, which was really cool to understand that he wants to know everything, not just about what I can do for him on the field on Saturdays. He was a great coach, very energetic with the team throughout the day. He did conditioning with the team, he did pushups with the team. So it was really good, honestly. I enjoyed it.”

Saturday’s visit also afforded Sanders the opportunity to speak with new offensive coordinator Garrett Riley for the second time. Riley is one of the Clemson coaches who visited Sanders’ school in January, but on Saturday, the two were able to get to know each other better.

“He was a very energetic coach as well,” Sanders said. “He’s a young guy. He seemed like he had the offense moving at a rapid pace throughout practice. So it was nice to see all the coaches in action up close, not from like the stands. I got to be right on the practice field hearing the calls, hearing the plays, so it was a great opportunity for me to get to understand them as coaches and as men.”

Sanders’ lengthy offer list currently features Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida State and many others.

Clemson has yet to offer any class of 2025 prospects, though Sanders figures to eventually collect an offer from the Tigers, who typically don’t start offering recruits until the summer before their junior year.

Clemson reiterated to Sanders that he remains a priority for the Tigers in his class.

“The message I got from the coaches, like Dabo Swinney and Coach Austin, was mainly I’m one of their top targets that they’re looking for in the class of 2025,” he said. “Of course, I’ve got to finish my four semesters of high school before I receive an offer, so I’m looking forward to getting that sometime during the summer, which will be pretty cool. … The message that I personally got from the coaches was just keep doing what I’m doing, keep working hard and Clemson’s going to be one of the schools recruiting me heavy. So, I look forward to being part of that and getting to understand the coaches more and more.”

Sanders went to Georgia the week before Clemson, and he will be at South Carolina today before visiting Ohio State from April 14-15. He plans to come back to Clemson for the Dabo Swinney Camp this summer and then again for a game in the fall.

“During summer will definitely be the time I would be able to get back to Clemson just because the spring has been so hectic trying to get to other schools to see what everybody has to offer,” he said. “But I definitely want to make that visit back up to Clemson during the summer to be able to work with all the coaches one-on-one and show them what I have to offer on the field. That will be pretty cool, and then I’ll definitely be back for a gameday during the season.”

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.

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