One of the top quarterbacks in the 2028 recruiting class returns to Clemson this weekend.

Four-star Kaden Craft (Lake Norman, NC) will be on hand for the Spring Elite Day on Saturday, marking his second visit to Clemson. The first came last fall when he traveled in for the Florida State game in November.

This visit will be a little different. With no game to prepare for, the coaching staff can give their undivided attention to the recruits in attendance, and with Craft’s pedigree, he’s bound to get a lot of face time with quarterbacks coach Tajh Boyd and offensive coordinator Chad Morris.

Craft has spent a lot of time on the phone with Morris, but this will be his first time meeting him in person. While the young signal caller already knows a lot about how the Tigers handle the recruiting process, he’s anxious to do a deep dive into the entire program.

“I am pretty excited,” Craft told The Clemson Insider. “Looking forward to just building a relationship with the coaches, getting to know the coaches more and how they look into developing quarterbacks. I know Clemson is really slow, which I kind of like, especially at the quarterback position, because you got to know who you are recruiting. And then, just getting a feel for how they coach, how they scheme stuff and to meet the OC. Stuff like that.”

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound quarterback knows he won’t be leaving the visit with an offer in hand. Clemson won’t start offering players in his class until the summer. Kraft said he will likely return in June to work out at camp in an effort to land one at that time. In fact, he said it might be one of the only camps that ends up on his schedule.

“It is different, but it also means it is more valuable because they are not just handing out a bunch of offers,” Craft said. “They really recruit you and build a relationship with you first, which I think is a good way to do it. They really evaluate you. They are not just going to go out and offer 10 quarterbacks and just barely recruit them. They are going to go and give those two or four guys (they offer) the most attention and try to recruit them and get to know them as a person. It makes it really valuable. It is a good one to get.”

Kraft already has a rather unique connection to Clemson. Former North Carolina offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens, who joined Dabo Swinney’s staff earlier this year, was the first coach to offer Kraft. It’s a relationship that could help Clemson’s chances.

“The first person who offered me was Coach Kitchens, when he was at UNC,” Craft said. “He was my first offer. At the time, he was the closest relationship I had with a coach. I talk to him a lot. Less now, but still a lot. It is really cool because he was the first person to believe in me. It is just another person I have a good relationship with, but I think all the coaches there are great people. But my mom really loves Coach Kitchens. She has a really good relationship with him.”

As a sophomore, Craft passed for 1,739 yards with 17 touchdowns to just four interceptions. He also rushed for 387 yards with 13 more scores via his legs.

The 247 Composite ranks him No. 69 overall and No. 6 among all quarterbacks in his class. Tennessee, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Miami are just a few of his early offers.

Florida, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Virginia Tech have all gotten spring visits. Texas and Texas A&M are still scheduled for spring visits, and he says he may also get to LSU at some point before the end of spring.

It’s a recruitment that is shaping up to include many of the big-boy football schools, and his list of offers is only going to grow. And at some point, Craft is hoping that list will include Clemson.

“It would mean a lot,” Craft said. “That is a school I have a high interest in. Knowing they are selective, getting an offer would be huge.”