Teddy Jarrard was celebrating the Fourth of July like many do.
The four-star quarterback (North Cobb, GA) was with some friends who were shooting off fireworks when he got a call from Garrett Riley. The Tigers’ offensive coordinator was reaching out to extend an offer to the blue-chip talent.
“It is big,” Jarrard told The Clemson Insider. “I have grown up on Lake Hartwell. So Clemson is a big school for my family. We have a lot of Clemson fans in Georgia, so I think it was big for me. And I love it up there.”
Jarrard worked out at a session of Dabo Swinney’s high school camp early last month and was one of the more impressive quarterbacks to roll through that week. Since then, he and Riley have been keeping in touch.
“We had been talking about once a week prior to that,” Jarrard said. “Just catching up and all that. It’s all new. All these coaches are trying to build relationships and talk. I am really just trying to learn from everybody, seeing what I can get out of each coach.”
Jarrard’s camp performance was so good that many thought an offer from Clemson might be forthcoming. He was even told during his camp visit that he “checked all the boxes.”
Jarrard himself was encouraged to the point that he thought an offer might be coming, but once a few weeks had passed, he started to wonder.
“At the beginning, I kind of thought I was,” Jarrard said. “Then, toward the end, I started to feel like, as time went by, I didn’t know what was going to happen. And then they finally did, so it ended up working out.”
And now that he has it, the Tigers are a legitimate contender.
“It will put them up there,” Jarrard said. “I came out with a Top 10 of schools I was going to narrow down after summer that I feel like I can go to and fit in. Clemson is in there with them. Just the way they run things. The offense and the coaches they have. Clemson has good players around you so you can thrive there.”
On3 ranks Jarrard No. 107 overall and No. 7 among all 2027 quarterbacks. He threw for 2,783 yards as a sophomore, completing 72% of his passes. He had 34 touchdown passes and sported an impressive QBR of 128.2.
The 6-foot-3 signal caller has now seen his stock start to rapidly rise after several impressive camp performances to kick off the summer, including winning QB MVP honors at a recent Rivals 5-Star event. Florida State, Notre Dame, Georgia, Ohio State, Penn State and Missouri all offered since the start of June. He now has well over 30 in total.
Jarrard noted that he could wind up making a decision as soon as the end of the summer. At the same time, knowing the impact this decision will have on his future, he also doesn’t want to rush it. It’s one of the biggest ones he will make in his life, and he plans to treat it that way.
“This decision is one of the biggest in my life,” Jarrard said. “I am going to take my time and be thorough about it. But I want to go somewhere I can be developed. I want to get better. Culture-wise, I want to be somewhere I will enjoy it outside of football. And I want good players around me too. Those are the big things.”