This talented young in-state wideout had the chance to showcase his skills for Clemson’s staff at the Dabo Swinney Camp earlier this month.

Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.) class of 2027 receiver Darius Carter worked out in front of Swinney and receivers coach Tyler Grisham on June 4.

The workout went well for Carter, and according to the 5-foot-10 rising sophomore, he drew another comparison to former Alabama Heisman winner and current Philadelphia Eagles star DeVonta Smith.

“He was giving me good feedback,” Carter said of Grisham. “He was telling me that I was getting good out of my breaks, and then when I was running routes, Coach Dabo kept on giving me props because he didn’t know I was a freshman. He thought I was older, so he kept on giving me props.

“Then when I went to go meet up with him, he said I reminded him of DeVonta Smith. And everybody’s been telling me that lately because DeVonta Smith, he wasn’t that big in high school and he wasn’t that tall. So, I use my size to my advantage and I just surprise people everywhere where I go.”

As for Carter’s overall camp experience, he certainly wasn’t disappointed by it.

“I really enjoyed it because the coaches there, I just like the relationship they had with the campers, and everybody that was there, they felt like they were a family,” he said. “Because there were new freshmen coming in and campers coming in, and I like the environment and how they coached and how they carried themselves as a college.”

This year marked Carter’s second appearance at the Swinney Camp, as he competed in the three-day camp last summer.

Carter has come away from Clemson impressed by Swinney’s faith, and Carter also loves how the Tigers run their camp much differently than many other college camps that focus on combine style testing.

“What sticks out the most is what the coaches really said, because I’m really big on God and keeping God first. So Coach Dabo, he was talking about God,” Carter said.

Added Carter: “All the other Power Five schools, they’re focusing on the 40(-yard dash) and how high you can jump and how tall you are, and when I got there, (Swinney) was just talking about, ‘We don’t need to see all that, we just need to see if you can play.’ Because it doesn’t matter how fast you are — you can be fast but you can’t play, so they said that they were focusing on if you can play… So, that’s what stood out to me the most.”

Clemson is still a year away from offering prospects in the 2027 class, and Carter knows an offer won’t be forthcoming anytime in the near future.

Right now, his focus is simply getting on the radar and beginning the process. But an offer from the Tigers down the road, he said, “would be a dream come true.”

“Hopefully in the next year or two, I can hopefully get on Clemson’s radar and hopefully pick up an offer,” he said. “I would be so grateful to get an offer from Clemson.”

A limited number of signed footballs from Clemson’s 2022 class are still available.  Get yours while supplies last!  Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!