CLAYTON, N.C. — Last weekend, Nick Eason secured a major recruiting win for Clemson when Keshawn Stancil committed to the Tigers.

Stancil is the second-highest-rated recruit committed to Clemson in the 2026 recruiting class, per On3, giving Eason a high-end talent who should eventually be one of the cornerstones of the Tigers’ defensive line in the future.

Standing close to 6-foot-4 and weighing in the neighborhood of 265 pounds, Stancil is potentially the type of talent you can build around, and William Walker, the defensive line coach at Clayton High School, has taken a lot of pleasure in watching him grow into the player he’s become.

Walker has coached Stancil throughout his high school career and has seen the development from one year to the next.

“Every year. Every year,” Walker told The Clemson Insider. “Like everybody coming in as freshmen, a little rough around the edges, a little bit. But at the same time, as he started locking in and understanding that he can play this game, and that he can play it on the next level, each year, he started getting more focused and working harder towards that goal.”

“I’m proud of him. He’s like a son to me. All of them are.”

And Walker believes Clemson is getting a well-rounded player, one who brings a little bit of everything to the table.

“All around, do it all, all around player,” Walker said. “I mean, from the toughness to the physicality. To the strength, to the power, to the speed, the quickness, that’s what we do here. We try our best to develop. That’s what we live by.”

As a junior, Stancil was dominant. He was credited with 63 tackles, 22 tackles for loss and nine sacks. On3 ranks him No. 73 overall and No. 9 among all defensive linemen.

Clemson won out over other finalists Georgia, Miami, Penn State and NC State. The Bulldogs got the first official visit, followed by Miami and Penn State. Stancil didn’t attend the Tigers’ big official visit weekend, but he did come in on the weekend of June 15. He was the only recruit on campus that weekend. NC State would then get the final official.

At the end of the day, Walker believes the decision came down to a number of factors, with culture and Clemson’s track record for development two things at the top of the list.

“The atmosphere, and the defensive line coach, of course,” Walker said. “Coach Eason and Coach Dabo, and just feeling like they can get the best out of him. So it pretty much worked hand in hand. Like I told him, that top five wasn’t a bad five at all. But at the end of the day, the decision was made, and the decision was made that’s going to best fit him to have a good career on the college level.”