Carter Jones has long been on Clemson’s radar.

In fact, it was offensive line coach Matt Luke who really showed the earliest interest in Jones, going back to when he was heading into his sophomore season of high school. One year later, the four-star offensive lineman picked up one of the Tigers’ opening offers and has remained one of the top targets on the board.

Jones has been on campus several times now, with the Elite Retreat earlier this month being the most recent. Dabo Swinney’s multi-hour speech really resonated with the blue-chip talent.

“It went really well,” Jones told The Clemson Insider. “Coach Swinney laid out the program perfectly. Gave a presentation on how he built the program. Basically everything. Any questions you could have — I left with no questions unanswered.”

The part of the speech that really stood out to Jones had nothing to do with the football part.

“The way he says leave things better than how you found it,” Jones said. “That was something that was huge. Like when they traveled as a team and went to a movie theater, they brought air blowers and stuff and left it cleaner than how they found it. I think that was a huge takeaway for me. It showed me the type of people I would be a part of if I were to choose to play for the Clemson Tigers. That is going to develop you as a man. It is just like proof right in front of you.”

Jones readily admits last season’s 7-6 record surprised him. It actually had an impact on how he viewed Clemson for a short time there. However, after this visit, it’s no longer a concern. Jones views last season as a minor setback that the Tigers are primed to bounce back from.

“It definitely did, honestly,” Jones said when asked if the Elite Retreat changed things for him. “Getting to talk with Tristan Leigh and getting to see the players with each other, and also a few other things on the visit, really showed me where I am with Clemson and what Clemson thinks of me. They had one off year, but I think this year they are going to bounce back stronger.”

Of his more than 40 offers, Jones has currently scheduled six official visits, and they will start in the coming weeks. Virginia, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Tennessee and Georgia will all get officials. Jones has also locked in plans to be at Clemson’s big official visit weekend from May 29-31.

Once those are done, he plans to sit down and make a decision, and right now, the Tigers just might be the leader in the clubhouse.

“They are super-high, they are at the top of my list,” Jones said. “One of my favorite schools for sure. It is the culture, and it is Coach Luke’s development and ability to get players into the NFL. That is really big for me. The development piece mixed in with the culture. Because I will develop not only as a football player but also a man.”