Clemson’s staff had been making a push to get Taron Vincent on campus, and this past weekend, the nation’s No. 1 defensive tackle in the 2018 class visited Tiger Town for this first time.
Vincent, a five-star product of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, traveled to Clemson for Saturday’s Junior Day with two teammates, Clemson four-star linebacker commit Mike Jones and four-star defensive tackle T.K. Chimedza.
“I had a great time talking with coaches and seeing the new facilities,” Vincent told The Clemson Insider, “and the Junior Day went very well.”
A consensus top-20 prospect nationally for the 2018 cycle who is rated as high as the No. 5 overall prospect by Rivals.com, Vincent owns offers from prominent programs all over the country.
Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Southern Cal and Texas are just some of the schools that stand out among his more than 30 offers.
Vincent, the son of former NFL cornerback and current executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent, was one of six prospects rated as a five-star by either Rivals or 247Sports to attend Junior Day at Clemson.
The group was among the first prospects to see Clemson’s new football operations facility in its completed form.
“They were crazy,” Vincent said of the facilities. “Haven’t seen anything like them.”
Vincen said he had the opportunity to chat with Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney for a little bit, and he felt the hospitality of Clemson’s coaching staff overall while on campus.
“Just how genuine the staff was,” Vincent said when asked what stood out to him about his visit.
What did he hear from the coaches?
“Just how Clemson is special and treats their players right,” Vincent said, “and the tradition of the school and the culture of winning.”
Vincent told TCI in November that Ohio State, Florida State and Alabama were his top three schools, respectively, but he said Clemson is now tied for third with Alabama following the visit.
He doesn’t have a timetable for a decision date right now.