CLEMSON — Matt Luke is putting together an extremely special class of offensive linemen for Clemson’s 2026 recruiting class.
Luke’s latest recruiting victory might be his biggest yet, as four-star Leo Delaney (Providence Day, Charlotte) went public with a commitment to the Tigers on Wednesday. And that is saying something, seeing as Clemson already had four highly-touted blue-chip linemen on board in the current class.
While Delaney was really high on both Michigan and Penn State, there was something different about Clemson, and each time he visited, he felt it. His official visit last weekend then sealed the deal.
“I’ve been there eight times, nine times — more than I can count, to be honest,” Delnaey told The Clemson Insider. “Every time I’m there, I just get a feeling like it’s a different place. You don’t meet people who are unhappy with being there. You don’t meet people who wish they did something else. Their retention rate, the graduation rate, all that stuff. I knew. This time, I really just felt it.”
On top of the culture inside the program really resonating, it might have been Luke himself who made the biggest impression. The Tigers’ second-year offensive line coach has a proven track record for developing his offensive linemen.
“He’s a dude. He is an incredible coach,” Delaney said. “He’s been proven through his development. He’d always say he didn’t like to brag, and then he’d throw up charts of how much he’s done. The guys he’s coached, how much they’ve made, and it’s insane. He’s developed so many offensive linemen to go do great things. I’m pumped to get on that field and to just get around that intensity and that passion.”
Delaney is the fifth offensive lineman to commit to Clemson during the 2026 cycle. He joins four-star Braden Wilmes, Adam Guthrie, Grant Wise and Chance Barclay. It is almost assuredly the best group of linemen the Tigers have landed under Dabo Swinney, and one could make the argument that it is one of the best in program history.
Delaney certainly sees that, and the 6-foot-6, 290-pounder wants to be a part of it.
“Getting to hang out with the players, for me, it was a big thing, and I got along with them really well,” he added. “It was just the whole group. It was the vibe of the whole offensive line. They were just so close, and you could tell that they really enjoyed being around each other. And it was a room I wanted to be part of.”
In fact, this is a class of offensive linemen that Delaney envisions winning the Joe Moore Award one day in the future. It’s a goal he has talked about chasing on multiple occasions, along with his desire to help bring a national title back to Clemson.
“I’m excited. You know my dream for as long as I’ve known it’s a thing — and I didn’t start playing football until high school, and I didn’t know anything about college football until my sophomore year, so it’s all pretty new to me. So as soon as I found out the Joe Moore Award is a thing, that’s been my dream. Chasing that, chasing the Outlander trophy. But it’s all about the Joe Moore Award. That’s number one for me. Get that, get a ring, get Outlander. And I feel like this is a room of guys that we could really do that with.”
Delaney, who plans to be an early enrollee, originally planned to take official visits to Penn State and Michigan, then announce a commitment in July. However, after his latest visit last weekend, he knew where he wanted to play and that it was time to shut things down.
“It’s definitely a great stress to have,” Delaney said. “I mean, I’m insanely blessed to be in the position I’m in. But with that being said, I’m looking forward to just focusing on winning a state championship with my high school teammates right now, and not worrying about anything else. So that’s going to be pretty great.”
Photo courtesy of Leo Delaney on Instagram