Jay Schell has long been at the top of Clemson’s 2028 recruiting board.

Dabo Swinney made it a point to get the four-star linebacker on campus on June 1, so he could make Schell the very first player in the class to pick up an offer from the Tigers. When he got to campus that day, Schell was brought into the staff room by linebackers coach Ben Boulware, where almost every member of the coaching staff was waiting. He was given his offer, and the entire room erupted in applause. It’s a moment that made an impression on Schell.

However, Schell’s ties to Clemson go way back. His father, Matt Schell, was a quarterback for the Tigers during the Tommy Bowden era, so the blue-chip talent grew up ingrained in everything Clemson. In fact, his family still lives in the area, despite Schell attending high school at Rabun Gap in northern Georgia.

With that in mind, it is no surprise that Clemson is one of Schell’s two finalists, along with Oklahoma. The linebacker also has a strong bond with Sooners’ head coach Brent Venables.

Schell made his most recent visit to Clemson over the weekend for the Tigers’ 22-7 win over Georgia Southern, and it might very well end up being his final one before making a decision. He’s talked about announcing a commitment as early as sometime in late September. Although that is not set in stone.

Before that happens, the linebacker will head to Oklahoma this weekend for the Sooners’ matchup against New Mexico State. It will be Schell’s first game-day visit to Norman.

“I don’t know if my decision comes in late September after I have taken both visits, but probably somewhere around there, to be honest,” Schell recently told TCI.

Even without having ever visited for a game, Venables’ program is thought to have built a lot of momentum here.

After speaking with a source late Sunday, it sounds like Schell’s visit to Clemson went as well as it could have. He himself told TCI this weekend was a “lot of fun.”

But was it enough to swing the momentum back in Clemson’s direction? That is yet to be determined. The best thing for the Tigers might just be Schell deciding to stretch his recruitment out a little further.

Schell was non-committal when asked on Sunday if he was still possibly planning to decide after the coming visit to Oklahoma. At the same time, he did not rule it out.

“Going to Norman this weekend and we’ll go from there,” he said.

ESPN ranks the 6-foot-2, 215-pound prospect as the top linebacker in the class and No. 97 overall.