One of the top offensive tackle prospects on the Clemson board is Leo Delaney (6-6 280) of Charlotte. He has been a target for Dabo Swinney going back to at least 2023 when he visited for a game, and offensive line coach Matt Luke became heavily involved once he came on board in December of 2023. He offered Delaney last June.
Swinney and Luke had Delaney on campus last March for a spring practice junior day, and he returned for a game in September and for the USC game in late November. He will be back on campus this Saturday for a junior day connected to a spring practice, and it will be another opportunity to build in the relationship with Swinney and Luke.
“Those conversations have always gone ridiculously well for me,” Delaney said. “Coach Luke sees me as a high-level prospect, and so does Coach Swinney. I think they really believe that if I go there, I could turn into a really great football player and play at the next level.”
This will be the first of several spring visits for Delaney. He will visit NC State March 18th, North Carolina March 19th, Tennessee March 29th, Michigan April 5th, Wisconsin April 12th and Penn State April 19th.
Delaney said those visits will go a long way in helping the determine his other official visits beside the May 30th date he has already established with Clemson. There are a number of boxes he wants to check off with each school.
“The chemistry of the coaches and the players, how they interact,” Delaney said. “The coaching style. It’s going to be nice to talk to players and see how the coaches can really be when not in recruiting. Obviously, they are going to have two different faces when they are recruiting you and when they are coaching you. I really want to get to know the coaches who will be coaching me and see how he works with his players to see if that can help me a lot.”
Delaney said at this point it’s impossible for him to settle on a favorite because his mind is changing all the time. He does plan to make a decision by mid-July.