CHARLOTTE — On Friday, Gordon Sellars became the newest member of Clemson’s 2026 recruiting class.

The four-star wideout made the announcement during a ceremony at Providence Day School, choosing the Tigers over South Carolina, Georgia, Michigan and North Carolina A&T.

However, this was basically a battle that came down to Clemson and South Carolina, and Friday’s announcement gives the Tigers a huge recruiting win over their biggest rival.

“All the schools that were recruiting me, they were great schools,” Sellars told The Clemson Insider. “The thing that sets Clemson apart is just the family feel. It feels like a family, and ever since I have been going there, they have brought me in with open arms. I love that.”

While Sellars is just now making it official, he’s felt for a while that Clemson was the best fit.

“I knew beforehand that Clemson doesn’t offer a lot of guys,” Sellars said. “If you get an offer from Clemson, that means you’re a pretty special young man. Hearing that and knowing that, I really took that into consideration. Throughout the process, they just kept showing me love and putting that into my ear. That meant a lot.”

In fact, Sellars was close to shutting things down in March while visiting for the Elite Retreat.

“I was so close to pulling the trigger,” he said. “But I decided to go home, pray about it, talk a little bit about it with God, and let him lead me to the right place.”

Instead, Sellars chose to go home without making a decision. He would take several more visits, making spring stops at Ohio State and Michigan. He was then back in Clemson for the spring game and since then, he’s hit both South Carolina and Notre Dame.

Turns out, those visits were just Sellars doing his due diligence. He pretty much knew his heart was in Clemson. Earlier this week, the blue-chip talent informed head coach Dabo Swinney of his decision.

“He was pretty happy,” Sellars said with a smile. “He started smacking the desk a little bit. I knew he was very happy.”

Sellars is the third, and likely final, wide receiver take for Clemson in the 2026 class, and he plans to be an early enrollee. He joins fellow four-stars Naeem Burroughs and Connor Salmin, who both committed during the Elite Retreat. His addition gives the Tigers a stellar group of pass catchers to follow in the footsteps of the current trio of Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco and T.J. Moore.

“Why not another three-headed snake,” Sellars said. “We are about to do some things.”

“I don’t want to say we’re back because we’re already on, but we’re about to be back, too. When this class gets in there, we’re going to bring something home.”

At the end of the day, it was the Clemson culture and his relationship with the coaches that won Sellars over. In an era in which recruiting has become so transactional, it’s quite the refreshing story.

“It just kept evolving,” Sellars said. “Every time I went, I learned something new. Having that feeling, it’s Death Valley, it’s different there. Having that feeling and knowing what they’ve done, that really showed me a lot.”