Clemson football parlayed an appearance in the twelve-team college football playoff this year into a spot in the “Top 12” of a coveted 2026 offensive line recruit. Grant Wise (6-3, 310) of Milton (FL) Pace recently narrowed down his choices for his collegiate commitment, and the Tigers made the cut.
Oklahoma, Miami, Penn State, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Ohio State, Oregon, and Texas A&M are also among the twelve schools vying for Wise’s services.
He has upcoming visits planned with Texas A&M, Tennessee and Florida. He also plans for a Clemson junior day visit March 8th and an official visit the first weekend in June. He also plans an official visit to Oregon.
His criteria for the list were finding the right schools that were good fits on and off the field, with a strong foundational culture being a top priority.
Regarding the Tigers, Wise has had Dabo Swinney’s program on his radar for quite some time. He was initially offered in the summer, which included a visit to Swinney’s high school camp, where he spent time working with Matt Luke.
Wise mentioned in the summer that there was “something different” about Clemson. He cited the staff’s connectivity as a true positive from his experience in the Upstate. Not only that, but Swinney and Luke’s relationship has grown with him as well.
“I think that they’re both great coaches, but they’re also, they’re great men,” Wise stated. “Coach Swinney is probably the best coach in college football at the moment. He’s really down to earth, and he’s a really personable guy, but he almost doesn’t make it seem like he’s ahead of you. We can sit down and have a regular conversation, and it’s just talking to anybody else. And then, obviously, they keep in contact regularly, and I talk to them on a regular basis, so probably that’s what they did to get into the list.”
Wise has also witnessed the transformation within the Clemson offensive line. He said that Luke’s work with the position group positively impacted the Tigers’ standing during recruitment.
“Definitely,” the Florida recruit exclaimed. “Coach Luke came in and turned the O-line room around. They played really good this year. They had some injuries here and there, and they had guys step up and obviously compete and play at the highest level, so they did well this year, and that’s huge to me.”
His list stands at 12, but he plans to trim it down further to five or six schools after a spring that’s expected to be filled with visits. Wise plans on visiting Clemson for Junior Day on January 25th, hoping another visit can only serve to further grow an already strong relationship.