Bear McWhorter has become one of the more sought-after offensive linemen in the 2026 recruiting class.

Twice in the past two weeks, McWhorter has gotten a visit from Clemson’s offensive line coach Matt Luke. The latest visit came on Monday and this time Luke was accompanied by head coach Dabo Swinney.

McWhorter got to spend about 90 minutes with the two coaches at his high school (Cass, White, GA) and their message was simple.

“That I’m a great fit for the culture they’re building and the type of guys they are bringing in,” McWhorter told The Clemson Insider. “They think I’d come in and be a leader and have the chance to come play early. That I would fit right in with all the different guys they have already in the program.”

Since picking up his offer from Clemson, the bond between McWhorter and Luke has become quite strong..

“I like him a lot,” McWhorter added. “He is a family guy. He relates to his players really well and always takes care of them, but coaches them hard at the same time. He’s just overall a great coach and a great guy.”

McWhorter visited Clemson back in July. That is when he picked up his offer. He then returned for the blowout win over App State in September. He also made gameday stops at Michigan, Arkansas, Wisconsin and LSU. Alabama and Tennessee both got two in-season visits.

This coming weekend McWhorter plans to visit both Florida and Florida State, The following weekend he will be back in Tuscaloosa to visit Alabama. Then it’s back to Clemson for the Elite Retreat on March 8. McWhorter also plans to get to LSU in March.

His next visit to Clemson will be his third since last summer and it’s the family-like feel inside of the program that plays a part in making the Tigers a contender.

“It’s the culture they’ve built,” McWhorter said. “It’s a winning program. They’re doing it the right way. They’re bringing in the right guys, and not just making it all about money, the transfer portal, or anything like that. Dabo is very consistent in what he does. He’s not going to switch for anybody. And that really stands out to me.”

In October, McWhorter named his top nine schools, with Clemson, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Arkansas and Wisconsin all making the cut. He has more than 30 offers in total.

After this round of visits, McWhorter plans to take some officials in the summer and would then like to have a decision made before the start of his senior season.

While some guys are looking for the biggest paydays coming out of high school, that’s not McWhorter. He insists some of the more traditional things will play a prominent role in that decision. Maybe that bodes well for the Tigers.

“I’ve always said, unless it’s life-changing money, then that’s not really going to be a part of my decision-making process.”