CLEMSON – The Clemson Tigers believed in a home-state kid, and it’s paid dividends in the 2023 season.

Freshman wide receiver Tyler Brown grew up less than an hour from campus, playing at Greenville High School. Brown received an offer from the Tigers in Nov. 2022, and made his decision two weeks later.

Brown recalled the moment he received the offer on the Gramlich and Mac Lain Show, hosted by two former Clemson athletes. He always had a deep connection with the Tigers, but receiving the opportunity was a massive moment for he and his father.

“Fresh out the womb, I was purple and orange. I’m die-hard man, I think my pops might’ve been more excited than me when Dabo decided to put that offer on the table. I think (my father) was in there, he might’ve shed a tear that day. It was unbelievable,” Brown said.

When it came to fruition, Brown had to hold himself together or he would’ve made the decision in the moment. All the emotions hit him and it left him where he couldn’t even say it.

“It took everything in me to not commit right there on the spot. I think only because I was pretty speechless but very blessed,” Brown said

Now, Brown is Clemson’s second-leading receiver and proving the Tigers right in their decision to offer him. He had a coming-out party with 153 yards against Syracuse before making an electric one-handed catch against Georgia Tech to cement himself as one of the team’s best playmakers.

The Tigers are on a two-game win streak and secured bowl eligibility. For Brown, the work isn’t done and the senior class is the fire that keeps this group moving.

“I wouldn’t say the focus wasn’t there at the beginning of the season,” Brown said. “I would just say that we could’ve done more. We left a lot out there. We got a great senior class, man, and these boys deserve to go out with a bang so we’re going to do everything in our power to make sure we win these last couple ones.”