Travis Hunter proved that it is still possible for a football player to play both ways in today’s game.

Hunter starred at both receiver and cornerback at Colorado during a 2024 campaign that saw him win the Heisman Trophy and then go No. 2 overall to the Jaguars in last year’s NFL Draft. He continued to play both ways during his rookie season at Jacksonville before an injury sidelined him in October.

That brings us to four-star ATH Tae Walden, who has become a priority target for Clemson in the 2027 class. Walden was on campus for the Elite Retreat in early March, leaving with an offer from the Tigers.

While Clemson is recruiting him primarily as a receiver, Walden revealed in a recent interview with 247Sports’ national recruiting analyst Tom Loy that the Tigers are open to the idea of him playing both ways.

“Coach Grisham and the rest of the staff at Clemson have shown me a lot of love for a while now,” Walden told Loy. “The trip I took out there definitely confirmed it. They believe I can be a big-time receiver or corner for them and are willing to mess around with the idea of me playing both.”

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound prospect plays both ways for his high school team (Collierville, TN), and as a junior, he earned all-region honors as both a receiver and a cornerback. He was also named his region’s Defensive Player of the Year. He was also a first-team punt returner, which leads credence to just how dynamic he is.

Walden’s father, Erik Walden, played linebacker in the NFL for about a decade, so he’s certainly got the bloodlines.

Clemson gets Walden’s first official visit, May 29-31. Georgia (June 5), LSU (June 12), Oregon (June 19), Tennessee (TBA) and Ole Miss (TBA) are also expected to get official visits.

If the plan is truly for Walden to play both ways, finding a way to land him would be huge. Having said that, Clemson is going to have to find a way to beat out some of the best programs in the country to do so. Something that just isn’t happening as often these days.

The Tigers already have one receiver committed in four-star Trey Wimbley and one corner committed in three-star Christian Chancellor. Adding Walden into either room, or both for that matter, would be an immediate infusion of elite-level talent. Three of the four major recruiting services rank him inside of the Top 70 players in the class, regardless of position.

Photo courtesy of Tae Walden on X (formerly known as Twitter)