Emavian Gibson is starting to see his profile escalate on the recruiting trail.
The 2029 in-state DT out of Dorman recently landed an offer from Georgia, which will likely change the complexion of his recruitment. Texas Tech, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati and Kansas State make up some of his other early Power-4 offers.
Gibson has already made two stops at Clemson this season, visiting for the Georgia Southern and Miami games. He’s also visited South Carolina. However, those two trips to see Dabo Swinney’s team have left an early impression.
“They showed the most love of all the visits,” Gibson told The Clemson Insider. “The program is run pretty differently. They don’t really offer young guys. They offer in your junior or senior year, and I like it. They get to know you more and get that relationship up before they offer you.”
“I have also met a lot of the coaches, the coaching staff. I also got to meet coach Swinney. Just trying to build my relationship up with him and the defensive line coaches.”
With him being just a high school sophomore, Gibson knows an offer from Clemson isn’t likely to come until next year, but the more he’s learned about the way the Tigers handle recruiting, the more he respects the way Swinney goes about it.
“I like the process,” Gibson said. “They are very different than other colleges. They build that relationship up with you before the offer. They get to know you and your family to make sure you are the right fit.”
Growing up in the Upstate, Gibson is more than familiar with the success Clemson has experienced over the past decade. The 6-foot-4, 290-pounder has also seen the program slip from among the nation’s elite over the past few years.
For Gibson, program stature currently takes a backseat to culture and fit. Those are some of the bigger things he’s looking for in a college program.
“That doesn’t really matter to me,” Gibson said of Clemson taking a step back. “All I am looking for is the best fit for me and the best relationship with the coaches.”
Clemson and Georgia are the two schools he says are currently recruiting him the hardest. However, being so early in the process, his options are likely only going to increase the older he gets.
Cincinnati, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Florida and Indiana are some of the other schools he is looking to visit this season. He also plans to get back to South Carolina for a second time this fall.
But early on, Clemson is standing out, and it’s the culture, including the PAW Journey program, that has already hit the mark with Gibson.
“I like PAW Journey,” he said. “When you get to school, not only do you play football and stuff, but they teach you about life, finances and stuff.
