When you know, you know.
Such was the case for Kharim Hughley. The four-star quarterback picked up an offer from Clemson on the Fourth of July and less than a week later he was the Tigers’ lone take at the position for the 2027 class.
“I just knew where I wanted to go, it felt right,” Hughley told The Clemson Insider. “I knew where I wanted to be. There was really no point in taking it any further if I know I am going to go to Clemson.”
After receiving his offer, Hughley originally thought he might need a few months before coming to a decision. He talked specifically about announcing towards the end of his upcoming junior season.
However, early last week, it started to become clear, and Hughley realized he didn’t need anymore time.
“I had a conversation with my dad and let him know that everything I wanted, I could get at Clemson,” he said. “It was the best experience I’ve had as far as visits. It is the place I want to be.”
Hughley then took everyone by surprise by announcing a commitment last Thursday. He even surprised offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and head coach Dabo Swinney.
“It was a regular conversation, and I just told (Riley) I was interested in committing and I wanted to commit,” Hughley said. “He was excited. He said the whole staff was going to be extremely happy. Then I talked to coach Swinney after, and they were all for it. He was pumped too. Real excited.”
Even more intriguing is the fact that Hughley only needed one visit to campus to know where home was. That visit took place last month when he worked out at Dabo Swinney’s high school camp.
“Coach Swinney and the culture itself, it is kind of similar to my home life, if that makes sense,” Hughley said. “It is an at-home feeling. Hearing others talk about Clemson, why wouldn’t anyone want to be a part of that.”
Hughley hails from Gainesville High School in Georgia, about a 90 minute drive to Clemson. It is the same high school that former Tigers’ standout Deshaun Watson attended.
Hughley knows that players like Watson, Trevor Lawrence, Tajh Boyd and Cade Klubnik have set a pretty high bar for quarterback play at Clemson and he is looking forward to the opportunity of being one of the next greats to come through the program.
“Coach Swinney told me something that has stuck with me,” said Hughley. “If I just let the light inside of me shine brighter than the light that is on me, there shouldn’t be any issues.”
Two different recruiting services rank Hughley inside the Top 150 players, regardless of position. ESPN ranks the blue-chip talent No. 93 overall and No. 4 among all quarterbacks in the 2027 class.
Last season as a sophomore, he passed for 2,543 yards with 22 touchdown throws to just two interceptions.
Hughley chose the Tigers over other offers that included Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida, Florida State, Ole Miss and South Carolina. Now that the decision is made, he can fully focus on his junior campaign, as well as helping recruit the rest of the 2027 class.
“Just letting them know they have to come and experience Clemson,” Hughley said. “Then they will have a better understanding of what I am talking about. Once you get up there, and just speaking for myself, but I don’t see why anyone wouldn’t want to go there.”
Photo courtesy of Dawson Powers