Last week, Omari Bledsoe got some kind of surprise.
The 2026 three-star cornerback (Stewarts Creek, Smyrna, TN) was sitting in a personal finance class when he learned Clemson cornerbacks coach Mike Reed had stopped by for a surprise visit.
The meeting lasted about 45 minutes, with Reed making a huge impression on the high school junior.
“He just pulled me out of class and we just started having a conversation,” Bledsoe told The Clemson Insider. “He gave me a lot of information about Clemson. But he asked about my family, and no other coach that I have talked to has ever asked about my family. So I felt very appreciative.”
Reed broached the subject of Bledsoe making his first-ever visit to Clemson sometime this summer.
“He said he would call me this weekend, a Zoom, so he will also be able to talk to my parents,” Bledsoe said. “I think then he will give me a date on when to come to Clemson.”
Whether that ends up being a regular recruiting visit or attending a session of Dabo Swinney’s high school camp the first week in June, Bledsoe is chomping at the bit to get to campus.
Bledsoe currently lists more than a dozen offers, with Power-4 schools like Kansas, West Virginia, Miami and TCU all pulling the trigger before the start of his junior season. Arkansas State and Wofford are two of his more recent offers.
Ole Miss is starting to show a lot of interest, as well, and Bledsoe visited Oxford during the spring. He also took spring visits to Arkansas State and Charlotte.
“The most that I am hearing from now, I would say Arkansas State, Ole Miss and Clemson,” Bledsoe said. “Coach Mike (Reed) has applied a lot of pressure. The day after he visited me, he called my head coach, so that made me feel a little special. It made me feel like he is very interested. Especially in my length and size at the DB position.”
Standing 6-foot-4, Bledsoe certainly possesses the length Reed tends to covet in his corners. And playing for a position coach who has produced multiple first-round NFL Draft picks is something that definitely intrigues Bledsoe.
“Before he even came, I used to always manifest going to Clemson, so it would mean a lot,” Bledsoe said. “For a coach to recognize me at the DB position means a lot. Me playing for him would also mean a lot. I am 6-foot-4 with a long wingspan, I am a long DB. But I just appreciate him for coming down and visiting me and showing interest in me. Because not a lot of coaches are showing the same interest.”
On top of all that, Bledsoe grew up imagining himself playing at Clemson. He called it one of his dream schools, along with Alabama and LSU. So if an offer from the Tigers were to come at some point, it’s one Bledsoe would seriously consider.
“I just want to pay off the sacrifices my parents made for me when I was young,” Bledsoe said. “Football is just my everything. Without football I don’t know what I would be doing right now. So getting an offer from Clemson would mean a lot. Clemson is probably one of the best schools, and it is one of my dream schools.”
However, if something with Clemson is going to come to fruition, it likely can’t drag out through the summer. Bledsoe is planning to announce a commitment next month on his birthday.
“I am an early graduate, so I am graduating in December,” Bledsoe said. “My plan is to commit on my birthday, which is June 29.”