This spring, a standout in-state running back on Clemson’s recruiting radar traveled to Tiger Town for the first time.

West Florence (S.C.) High School’s Tre Leonard took his first unofficial visit to campus at the beginning of April. The 5-foot-10, 183-pound rising junior in the 2025 class came away very impressed by the atmosphere, as well as Dabo Swinney and his coaching staff.

“When I went to Clemson, I would say it was just the atmosphere in general,” Leonard said of what stood out about the visit. “The staff was amazing. Coach Swinney, he talked for about 45 minutes to an hour about the program and everything, and it was a beautiful facility and everything just looked great. The campus was beautiful, everybody was helpful. You could really feel the family atmosphere there the whole time you were there. I got to talk to (offensive analyst) Tajh Boyd a little bit… I talked to (running backs) coach (C.J.) Spiller a lot. Just good people.”

Leonard was one of only a handful of running backs that Clemson hosted for the program’s underclassmen day, which let him know that the Tigers are looking at him and interested in him. He’s certainly interested in Clemson as well, and the selectivity with which the Tigers recruit is one of the reasons he covets an offer from the program.

“I would definitely say they have a special place in my heart because getting an offer from Clemson is basically saying you’re just one of them guys,” he said. “They don’t offer just anybody, and it’s one of the schools that offer (the lowest number of) people. You pick one up from there, that means you have to really be good. So, I’d really love to have that offer. I wouldn’t mind going there.”

Although Leonard is an in-state guy, he didn’t really grow up a Clemson fan but began taking a liking to the school after he started training with former Tiger standout linebacker Anthony Waters.

“I wouldn’t say I grew up as a Clemson fan, but I always watched them,” he said. “My trainer, Anthony Waters, he went to Clemson. So once I really started working out with him, it kind of grew on me a little bit.”

Leonard is ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the state of South Carolina for the 2025 class by both Rivals and the 247Sports Composite. He holds Power Five offers from Arkansas and Boston College to go with other Division I FBS offers from Appalachian State, Connecticut and Ohio.

The do-it-all talent prefers to characterize his skill set as that of a “playmaker” rather than simply just a running back.

“I would say I can run of course,” he said. “My footwork is great. I have patience, I have vision, I have all the accolades you’ll need. I can catch the ball out the backfield. I can even split out and be a mismatch against a linebacker if you need me to. So, I feel like I can just be all around good, like a real playmaker. I don’t really like being labeled as a running back really, I’m just a playmaker. I do whatever.”

–Photo courtesy of Tre Leonard on Twitter (@TreLeonard2)

Xavier Thomas is back to win another championship.  Dear Old Clemson has added signed posters from Thomas to our online store.  For this weekend only they are on sale at an introductory price of only $30.

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