The first day of June is typically a special day on the recruiting calendar for Clemson, seeing as that is the day they typically start extending offers to rising high school juniors.

Leading into that date, the Clemson coaching staff knew they wanted four-star linebacker Jay Schell (Rabun Gap, GA) to be on the receiving end of the very first 2028 offer. And Dabo Swinney, Tom Allen and Ben Boulware wanted to do the honors face-to-face, not over the phone.

Due to a scheduling conflict, Schell couldn’t work out at camp this summer. Instead, some of the players from his high school visited Clemson on June 1, the day before camp started. However, Schell was invited to come in that morning, ahead of when his team was scheduled to arrive. What transpired after he arrived on campus was something he won’t soon forget.

“Clemson has always meant a lot to me, so I was hoping it would be a June 1 type of thing,” Schell told The Clemson Insider. “Coach Boulware had been talking to my coach about trying to get it figured out for me to come, and my team was coming at 2pm, but (Boulware) told my coach he wanted it to be a little more special for me. Coach Boulware met me at the front and there was no one in the facility, so I was a little bit confused. He walked us to a room I had never been in before. It was the staff room. Every single staff member was in there, and as soon as me and my family walked in, everyone started clapping and cheering. It was really cool.”

By the time Schell left that meeting, he’d become the first player in the 2028 class to pick up an offer from the Tigers.

“Coach Swinney was in there, kind of like at the head of the table, and it was like 80 staff members in there — everyone,” Schell said. “Coach Swinney started talking to me about June 1 and June 1 offers and how they aren’t going to offer a June 1 guy if they don’t think he is a future first-round draft pick. That they aren’t just offering anybody. We talked for a bit, and he talked to me about how much of a priority I am for them, not only at linebacker but for the whole ’28 class. He said how important it was to them to get me in there first. He was making it a point to bring me in so I would be the first 2028 Clemson offer. He wanted me to know they did that intentionally.”

“It really meant a lot. They did not just call me on the phone and offer me, they brought me in. That was really cool, just to know I was number one on their board to offer me first. They made me feel like a priority for sure, and it was an experience I will never forget. They just made it really special.”

What makes the offer even more special is the fact that Schell is a legacy recruit. His father, Matt Schell, served as a quarterback on the team during the Tommy Bowden years, so he grew up rooting for Clemson and has attended countless games over the years. Now, he is not only being recruited by the team he grew up watching, but he’s also the guy at the top of the board.

“Obviously, Clemson is cool because of my dad, but take that out, I am looking for something besides that,” Schell said. “And Clemson made that a really big point, as well. Coach Swinney said he knows where my dad played, and that has nothing to do with my offer, or nothing to do with why I was the first guy. It is pretty cool that that is the case, my dad playing at Clemson, but he said it would have been that way either way. Whether I am a legacy or not, they see me as their guy.”

However, being a legacy doesn’t make Schell a lock for the Tigers. Although he readily admits that Clemson is firmly in the mix.

As a sophomore, Schell logged 77 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, three sacks and 12 quarterback hurries. ESPN ranks the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder as the second-best linebacker in the class. The Rivals Industry Rankings slot him at No. 9 among all players at the position and No. 118 overall.

Being one of the top linebackers in the class, Schell already has close to 50 offers. Pretty much every major college program is attempting to attract him. Having so many options, he is determined to go through the process with an open mind. He’s looking for not only a program that will develop him into an NFL talent, but one in which he’s also a strong cultural fit.

“Clemson obviously is a top program,” he said. “Just the history of Clemson and some of the development at linebacker. Like Wade Woodaz, who they just put into the league, and some of the guys that will be in the league in the next couple of years, like Sammy Brown. So, there is a level of development there that attracts me. The culture fits for sure. It is definitely one of the top few on my list.”

Schell is still early in the process. He hasn’t even put out a top schools list, much less given a whole lot of thought to any kind of decision date.

He does know what he’s looking for, though, and development and culture aren’t the only things on the list. He also wants to play for a school that will give him a chance at winning at the highest level. That means after going 7-6 last season, what happens on the field for Clemson in 2026 will have implications.

“I want to go somewhere and win a national championship. That is something I want to go win,” he said. “I am really excited to see how this season goes. I have been over there a good bit, like spring practices, and I am definitely encouraged about the season they are going to have. I feel like it is going to be a good season. I do want to win. Go somewhere and win, but I feel like if you are doing things the right way, then the winning will happen. I know they are doing it the right way, so I expect them to win.”

One thing Schell isn’t chasing is money. While the recruiting process has become extremely transactional for many recruits, he’s not approaching it that way. At the same time, the blue-chip talent knows it’s a part of the process. But for Schell, that is all it is, just a small part of it. It certainly won’t be a deciding factor when that time does eventually come.

“It’s not a big priority for me,” Schell said. “It is not like one of those big deciding factors for me. But I will say that I have to accept it as part of the game. It is just a part of things. I know it is there, and it does affect some things, but when it comes down to the top things that I am looking for in choosing a school, that is not at the top of the list.”

Photo courtesy of Bart Boatwright/The Clemson Insider