Luke Toland has a couple of different connections to Clemson and the area surrounding the university.
The 2028 QB attends The Bolles School (FL), where he is not only teammates with current Clemson WR commit Naeem Burroughs, but also extremely close friends. Toland and his family also frequently vacation on Lake Keowee, a quick drive from Clemson, with the latest trip coming back in July.
This last time, Burroughs, along with another teammate, five-star DL Asher Ghioto, both vacationed with Toland and his family. The trio has formed quite the tight-knit bond, with all three having just been on campus about a month earlier during Dabo Swinney’s high school camp.
Toland has actually been working out at the camps going back several years, but this time, knowing he was about to start his sophomore campaign, it felt different.
“It was awesome,” Toland told The Clemson Insider. “I got to throw in front of their coaches, hang out with coach Tyler Grisham, who is a great guy. It was well organized. There were a bunch of good quarterbacks there, which I loved. I love to compete.”
Toland visited Clemson for a game last season and is set to be back on campus for the season-opener against LSU on August 30. Burroughs and Ghioto will both be making the trip as well.
“I am just looking forward to being back on campus,” Toland said. “Hanging out with the coaches, building a connection and watching some good football.”
Having a friend like Burroughs, who has already experienced the recruiting process, is proving to be very beneficial for Toland, whose recruitment is really just getting started.
“He’s definitely given me a lot of great advice as a recruit,” Toland said. “And he just makes everyone around him better.”
Toland is also planning to take game-day visits to Notre Dame and Arkansas State during the season. The Red Wolves have already offered, as has Georgia Southern.
However, that number is expected to grow, as Toland puts more on film and an offer from Clemson is one the 6-foot signal caller would like to add.
“The way they operate,” Toland said. “The work ethic over there. It is just a great community with a great culture. It is awesome. Coach Swinney is an amazing guy. A great coach. It is just amazing over there. Clemson’s culture is different. It feels different than all of the other colleges I have been to. There is something really special over there. They have a good thing going.”
Toland is fully aware that the Tigers take a different approach when it comes to the recruiting process. They won’t even start offering players in his class until next summer.
But it is a process that Toland appreciates. He knows how hard it is to land one of those offers, along with appreciating the meaning.
“I love that about their recruiting. It is a slow process,” Toland said. “If they offer you, you know they want you. It would be life-changing. That would be all of my dreams coming true.”
Photos courtesy of Luke Toland