Clemson, of course, was heavily involved with Jeremiah Alexander during his recruiting process. But the former five-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class ended up committing to Alabama over Clemson in July 2021.

However, Alexander is ultimately a Tiger now, after transferring to Clemson from Alabama early this year.

The 6-foot-2, 235-pound linebacker met with the media this week and discussed what drew him to Clemson after he entered the transfer portal. Alexander said the prior recruiting ties to head coach Dabo Swinney and his program made the transfer decision easier.

“Me, personally, a lot played into the recruiting in high school,” Alexander said. “I didn’t have a big window to go to all the schools and take a visit to each school. I had a short window. So, just having that relationship out of high school made my decision a little bit quicker and more efficiently.”

Alexander came out of Thompson High School (Alabaster, Ala.) as one of the country’s top recruits in his class. He was a five-star recruit across most major outlets and ranked among the top 50 players nationally in the 2022 recruiting cycle.

Now that he’s a member of Clemson’s program after choosing the Crimson Tide over the Tigers in high school, Alexander said Swinney joked with him about not originally committing to Clemson.

Alexander said Swinney told him “I turned him down at the altar.”

“He was just emphasizing how I turned him down at the altar,” Alexander said with a laugh.

“But I’m back here, and God doesn’t make mistakes, so I’m glad to be back here for a second opportunity.”

Following a redshirt year in 2022 in which he appeared in three games, Alexander played in 24 of the Crimson Tide’s 27 games across the 2023-24 seasons and was credited with eight tackles in those contests. The redshirt junior joined Clemson with two years of eligibility left.

–Photo courtesy Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images