Big-time TE Reid Mikeska (6-6 233) of Cypress, TX named his top 12 schools earlier in the week and Clemson and USC were included in the group. The others in his top dozen are Alabama, Texas Tech, LSU, Miami, Florida, Michigan State, North Carolina, Baylor, Auburn and Tennessee. Mikeska has been making the rounds this month checking out as many of the schools he can get to. Earlier this month he got in to see both the Tigers and Gamecocks.
“Clemson was incredible. I had like really high expectations. They kind of peeled them away,” Mikeska said. “Nothing bad to say about Clemson. I love the coaches. Coach (Dabo) Swinney was amazing. Top tier facilities, coaches, culture. They are going to win many more national championships. You can’t really ask for anything more than that.”
Mikeska spent time with new Clemson tight ends coach Kyle Richardson and got the low-down from him on how he would fit in with what they do with their tight ends.
“They want me pretty bad,” Mikeska said. “They want me to play that tight end role and I could just come in and make a difference because of the way I play. I can play H-back, split out and on the line scrimmage. They feel that fits their offense really well.”
The visit to USC was 11 days after the Clemson stop, and it had the same impact on him.
“Columbia was also incredible. I really like Coach (Shane) Beamer,” Mikeska said. “I think he’s on the road to take the program to the next level. I think a lot of people are sleeping on them that don’t really know what’s going on. I really like (tight ends) Coach (Jody) Wright. They also have great facilities, and they are establishing a really good culture there too. Both of those schools are very high up on my list right now.”
Like his counterpart at Clemson, Wright also is in his first year on the job at USC and made sure Mikeska left there with a good idea about how he would fit into the offense.
“He sees me coming in and playing really early,” Mikeska said. “It’s kind of the same thing as Clemson, they could put me all over. I could block, I could catch, I could run with the football, I could do it all. He sees me as that too. I’ve had a good relationship with Coach Wright for about two months now. I’m a big fan of him.”
Mikeska has also visited Baylor, TCU, Michigan State, North Carolina, Michigan, Alabama and Auburn. This weekend he plans to see LSU and Miami.
