Tuesday brought another commitment for Clemson from a prospect who attended last Saturday’s Elite Retreat. SAF Kaden Gebhardt (6-2 195) of Lewis Center, OH announced his commitment becoming the seventh pledge to come from the weekend of visits, and the second from Ohio.
New Clemson defensive coordinator Tom Allen had recruited Gebhardt when he was at Penn State and quickly moved on him when he came to Clemson.
Gebhardt chose Clemson from a final list that also included Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin. Penn State was seen as a strong favorite considering the number of times he had visited there for games, but he attended a Clemson junior day in January and that set the stage for his return trip last weekend and ultimately his commitment.
He has an official visit set with Clemson for May 30th. He had also scheduled officials with Penn State and Ohio State.
Gebhardt also had offers from Rutgers, Maryland, West Virginia, Purdue, Michigan, Southern Cal, UCLA, Ole Miss, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Duke and Indiana.
Clemson was viewed as a strong favorite for Gebhardt by On3 prior to his commitment.
Last season Gebhardt totaled 94 tackles with six tackles for loss and two interceptions. As a sophomore, he had 129 tackles with three interceptions.
Gebhardt gives Clemson a dozen commitments for their 2026 class.
Clemson 2026 Commitments:
- Shavar Young CB 5-11 175 Knoxville
- Marcell Gipson CB 5-11 170 Dallas, TX
- Tait Reynolds QB 6-4 195 Queen Creek, AZ
- Brock Bradley QB 6-1 185 Hoover, AL
- Tayveon Wilson TE 6-3 205 Huntington, WV
- Grant Wise OC 6-3 310 Milton, FL
- Chancellor Barclay OG 6-4 290 Minneola, FL
- Braden Wilmes OT 6-8 285 Lawrence, KS
- Adam Guthrie OT 6-6 270 Washington Court House, OH
- Kaden Gebhardt SAF 6-2 195 Lewis Center, OH
- Naeem Burroughs WR 6-0 175 Jacksonville
- Connor Salmin WR 6-2 195 Potomac, MD