Clemson football doesn’t schedule official visits during the summertime, but that doesn’t mean the Tigers won’t have plenty of top flight talent coming to campus when recruiting opens back up in June. DE DJ Wesolak of Booneville, MO is one of those prospects.
Wesolak, who picked up an offer from the Tigers in February and included them among his top schools list in April, is set to appear at Clemson’s “Elite Retreat” the weekend of June 12th. Currently tabbed as the #176 player in the nation and 10th ranked weakside defensive end in the 247Sports composite rankings, the 6-4, 240-pound junior has made a major impression on the Clemson brain trust.
“Basically me and coach (Brent) Venables, coach (Lamont) Hall, coach (Todd) Bates, the whole defensive staff, and coach (Dabo) Swinney will all just get together and talk,” Wesolak says about his recruitment. “Coach Venables hits me up every other day and me and coach Hall talk every day. I will shoot them tape of me working out and they will give me advice. I’m just going through the process and I can’t wait to get out there for the Elite Retreat. Everything is really good with them. Cade (Klubnik) has been recruiting me to come there and play with him. I’m getting familiar with the guys already there and the guys committed.”
Wesolak will get a chance to meet up with another Missouri prospect and Clemson target in the ’22 class. Four-star cornerback Toriano Pride will also be in attendance at the “Elite Retreat”, and Wesolak has talked with Pride and other recruits about possibly teaming up in Clemson.
“There’s two players that I’m really close with in this process,” Wesolak says. “Toriano Pride, he’s from St. Louis, and that’s only an hour away from me. That’s my boy. We’ve been really close in this process. And Jihaad Campbell out of IMG. We interact with each other and keep everything straight forward with what we think of the process. Those are guys I could see myself teaming up with.”
The Missourian has official visits planned to Southern California and Miami in late June, with the Clemson visit coming during a trio of unofficial visits that also includes Georgia and UNC.
“Seeing coach Dabo, coach Hall, coach Venables, and coach Bates all at the same time will help,” Wesolak notes of his upcoming Clemson visit. “I have some friends in the recruiting process that’s coming out there. I know some of them are thinking about committing when we get out there. With some of us not being able to take visits, it just helps us so much to see what it is really like to be a college athlete and being around the college environment and culture. Just to see a great team and program and being able to see their success. Being at Clemson for a couple of days is really going to help.”
He says it is possible that a commitment could come after the season, but he could be ready to pull the trigger sooner if a school feels like home.
“I know I said last time it would be more around December, but with visits opening up I could possibly commit on the day of a visit of I love it and it feels like home,” he says. “Or maybe some time in the late summer. Everything I want to see from each campus is their culture and environment. I want to see how the schools coach their players up and how their players react. Everyone knows Clemson has a great culture. Not just as an athletic school, but just the support all through the town.”
