CLEMSON – Clemson hosted its Elite Junior Day Saturday and made a strong first impression on an in-state recruit.

2026 wide receiver Donovan Murph made his first appearance on campus for the visit, and he told The Clemson Insider was a “great time” building a relationship with the coaching staff and furthering his knowledge of the program. During the visit, he built a connection with wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham as well as head coachDabo Swinney.

“He’s a great receiver coach. He played in the league for a couple of years. He has the experience and he’s been where I want to be. So it was great to hear from him, and I learned a lot from him my time there,” Murph said. “Coach Swinney, man, he’s a great coach. He does things the right way and his system’s worked andnd that’s why I’ve been consistent every year winning nine, 10 games and winning consecutive bowl games. So, you know, it was great to hear from him.”

Since this was his first time meeting the staff, Murph said the coaches were interested in his separation as a receiver and it would be something he could bring to the program early. During the trip, he spent time with fellow in-state receiver recruits Malik Clark and Jordon Gidron.

Murph said the Tigers do “a great job” recruiting in-state players and he’s one who comes from both sides of the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry. He noted that the trio “might even team up together” after building their connection on this visit.

During the visit, he got a good look at the team during a scrimmage Saturday and was impressed by the offense. It’s something he could see himself a part of and the Tigers are quickly relevant in his recruitment. Murph plans to take another visit soon, whether it be for the spring game or a camp in the summer.

“Clemson definitely up there in my recruitment. They did a good job, I like Coach Swinney and Coach Grisham and Coach Riley at OC, they are doing a great job and I appreciate them for getting me on campus and definitely worth the trip,” Murph said. “It’s differant than a lot of places, it’s very hard to get that offer and they have a distinct way of doing things other than other places so it would be great to get that offer.”

Photo courtesy of Donovan Murph(@donovan_murph) on X