Ty Kirkpatrick’s most recent visit to Clemson was different. It was an eye-opening experience.
The 2028 three-star edge rusher (Cardinal Newman, FL) visited for a spring practice after the Tigers returned from spring break. Kirkpatrick camped at Clemson last summer and plans to do the same in June, but this trip allowed him to get a look at things on a deeper level.
“Just the personal connection between me and all the staff,” Kirkpatrick told The Clemson Insider. “I was expecting to just go watch the practice and typical stuff like that. But we got there and we toured the whole campus and all that. I had a meeting with the PAW Journey program. Then I had like a 30-minute conversation with Dabo. Then we got into practice. It was just very personal.”
His extended conversation with Swinney was one of the highlights of the day.
“I was just telling him how I like how they run their program differently,” Kirkpatrick said. “Because a lot of schools hand out offers and they don’t mean anything. He actually showed me the spreadsheet of the class of 2027 offers and a bunch of schools had offered like 400-450 kids. Clemson was a the bottom of the P4. I respect that a lot.”
Kirkpatrick got a better understanding of just how different the recruiting process is at Clemson.
“Kids they offer, they truly have connections with,” he said. “Like, I have been offered by some schools, and never met any coaches on the staff. They just text my coach, ‘Ty has an offer.’ Although it is hard to get the offer, it really does mean something when you get it.”
The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder totaled 53 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and six sacks as a sophomore.
Auburn, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Nebraska, Mississippi State, West Virginia and Kentucky are a handful of some of Kirkpatrick’s early offers.
However, it’s that Clemson offer that he’s always wanted. A family connection to the program is just one of the reasons why. And if he were to add one, his recruitment would likely be over.
“It would mean the world,” Kirkpatrick said. “My stepdad’s uncle is a donor at Clemson, and it’s always been like, ‘Man, Clemson….’ After (the visit), I have not stopped thinking about it. If I do get it, I will act pretty quickly on it, I think.”
At the same time, the family connection isn’t the only thing that makes Clemson so attractive.
“I feel like everybody there does genuinely enjoy each other,” Kirkpatrick said. “There is no tension, I don’t feel any tension. It just feels like it is all sunshine and rainbows. Obviously, it’s not, but it truly does just feel like a place that everybody enjoys. You have the least amount of kids entering the portal, the highest graduation rate, this, that, and there are a bunch of stats to back it up.”
Photo courtesy of Ty Kirkpatrick on X (formerly known as Twitter)