CLEMSON — When Carsyn Baker realized he wouldn’t be able to attend the Elite Retreat, he decided to push his visit to Clemson up a few days.

The four-star running back out of Langston Hughes (Fairburn, GA) made his first-ever visit to campus on Monday, with Baker taking in the Tigers’ third practice of the spring.

“It was different,” Baker told The Clemson Insider. “As soon as I walked in, all the coaching staff greeted me and everything. They made sure to introduce themselves and what they did at the school. I got around campus to see things. It’s just really different. Every college I have been to, and I’ve been to almost everyone college in the south, and I ain’t seen nothing close to that so far.”

The family-like culture Dabo Swiney has created at Clemson and how the head coach runs his program really resonated.

“Coach Swinney and the way he talked about how he runs his program is way different,” Baker said. “It’s a different program they have there. The culture there and stuff like that. Just the way they do everything. The other colleges don’t provide the things they got. They don’t run things the way Clemson does it.”

Before the start of practice, Baker had a meeting with Swinney in his office. By the time it was over, Baker had become just the second running back in the 2026 class to net an offer from the Tigers.

“I was talking to coach Swinney and when he offered me inside his office, he was like, ‘Man, coach Spiller has only offered one back. You’re only the second one he’s offered so far,'” he said. “It just really felt good. I got offered by Clemson, and they don’t really offer nobody.”

Baker was accompanied on the visit by his mother, and she was just as impressed.

“She was very excited,” Baker added. “It definitely shot over her expectations.”

Baker rushed for 1,282 yards as a junior with 13 touchdowns. He had six games with more than 100 yards on the ground and averaged 8.8 yards per carry. Rivals ranks him No. 169 overall and No. 10 among all running backs.

While he just netted his offer on Monday, the Tigers started recruiting him months ago. Spiller visited with Baker multiple times during the contact period.

Now that he has the offer, Baker has locked in to be at the big official visit weekend May 30 to June 1. The following weekend he takes an official to Florida State, followed by Ohio State (June 13-15) and Texas A&M (June 20-22). Baker also plans to take official visits to Georgia and South Carolina but has yet to lock in the dates.

After he wraps up his summer officials, Baker is hoping to have a decision made by the start of his senior season.

“Clemson is most definitely high on my board,” Baker said. “I was stunned when I went there, and I had a really great time.”