Monday Clemson was back on the spring practice field and the Tigers had some recruits on hand to take it all in. One was DE Joshua Mickens (6-4 225) of Indianapolis. Mickens, whose father was an NFL running back, does not yet have an offer from Clemson, and this first visit was the next step in building the relationship to the point they will want to offer.
“Clemson was terrific. I saw a lot of great things,” Mickens said. “I saw some things that will lead them to be one of the best teams in the nation this year. It was just a great experience. Great culture and the people are great there. When they coach their guys up, they really like to help their guys a lot. It’s a I’m going to push you type of culture.”
Though Clemson and Mickens are just getting things started from the recruiting standpoint, he’s held the Tigers in high regard.
“I’ve always secretly had them as my dream school for a while, or one of them,” he said. “It was always a college I could see myself at.”
Before getting to Clemson Monday, Mickens was at USC Saturday to watch the Gamecocks practice. Like Clemson, he hasn’t been offered yet by the Gamecocks as they are just getting to know one another.
“South Carolina was really nice as well, they’ve got some great things going on,” Mickens said. “They are going to be a top team in the SEC coming this year, too. They said they could see me fitting almost perfectly into their scheme. My length is vital as far as their D-end position. They like their D-ends to be a little bit bigger, and they’ll put that weight on when I get there.”
Mickens will visit Georgia on Tuesday and North Carolina Thursday. He’s also planning to visit Tennessee and Duke. He has been to Michigan State, Iowa, Indiana and Purdue. And his offers include Indiana, Cincinnati, Florida State, Southern Cal, Purdue, Michigan State, Rutgers, Iowa, Minnesota, Louisville, Tennessee, Boston College, Penn State and Kansas.
