One of the standout prospects that Clemson played host to for last Saturday’s game against Florida Atlantic was this class of 2025 offensive lineman from the Peach State with more than a dozen scholarship offers.

Gainesville (Ga.) High School four-star tackle Alex Payne was among the recruits in attendance for the Tigers’ 48-14 victory at Death Valley.

“We really enjoyed our visit,” Payne told The Clemson Insider. “The highlight would be pre/postgame locker room time and having the chance to be at the top of the hill at the rock with the team.”

The 6-foot-5, 265-pound junior was accompanied on the visit by his parents.

“They were really impressed with everything and all of the coaches,” Payne said.

What did he hear from offensive line coach Thomas Austin, head coach Dabo Swinney and the Clemson staff during the visit?

“Coach mostly talked about the culture of the program,” Payne said. “Building a staff that consists a lot of former players/students of Clemson. He talked about the future of the team and not building a team from the transfer portal but developing within, which was good to hear.”

Last Saturday marked Payne’s first time at Clemson, but he doesn’t expect it to be his lone trip to Tiger Town this year.

“We do plan on going back again later in this season,” he said.

After having the chance to experience Clemson and see what it has to offer, Payne would be thrilled if the Tigers joined his offer list that already includes schools such as Baylor, Boston College, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Penn State, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

“Getting an offer from Clemson in the future would be huge for me,” he said. “I really liked the gameday atmosphere/coaches and the facility. Definitely a football program anyone would be excited to receive an offer from! They would be in my top three school picks for sure.”

Per 247Sports, Payne is the No. 19 offensive tackle nationally and No. 181 overall prospect in the country for the 2025 class.

Dear Old Clemson has just added Limited Edition signed Cade Klubnik replica road signs to the online store. Get your highway 2 sign today while supplies last!