2027 Irmo DE Jaiden Bryant (6-4 255) and his dad were in attendance for the Clemson-LSU game last Saturday at Death Valley. The visit gave him a chance to see two teams that are actively recruiting him. Clemson has not yet offered, but LSU has.
This visit was just the second for Bryant to Clemson, and he got the chance to talk more with defensive ends coach Chris Rumph.
“I liked the environment and how everything went,” Bryant said. “I got to talk to some of the coaches, D-line coaches like Coach Rumph. Everybody was really locked in that day. First game, big game. Everybody is going to be in their own space. I talked to Coach Rumph, and we really didn’t talk about much. Dabo came in and talked to us and gave us a speech on how Clemson is a different program. You won’t find another program like Clemson. You’ve really got to be one of the ones for them to even look at you. I like everything about Clemson. I like what they do, what they stand for, how they work everything. I really like the environment there and everything that comes with it.”
Bryant kept an eye on the play of the defensive line, especially the defensive ends, where Clemson has a tradition of turning out high level talent.
“If there’s a position on that field that stood out, it was the D-line,” Bryant said. “They definitely came out and balled out from the start to finish. I know Coach Rumph was proud, not the ending that they wanted, but the D-line did their job, did the best that they could, and I like that. I could see myself doing the same.”
Bryant doesn’t have any more visits planned for Clemson this season, but that could change if Rumph makes the call with an offer.
“Since I’m just now being recruited, and this is the start of my relationship with Clemson, it really hasn’t been brought up yet,” Bryant said. “This was my second time at Clemson. I feel like the more I go, the higher the percentage of me getting offered. We’re at the start right now. The more I go there and the more our relationship is built, the higher chance of an offer will be coming my way.”
This Saturday, Bryant will be at USC for the SC State game. He will return to Williams-Brice the following weekend for the Vanderbilt game. He also plans to be at USC for the Alabama and Clemson games. Other games on his itinerary are Miami at Florida, USC at LSU, Tennessee at Alabama and Florida at Kentucky.
South Carolina is in a position of strength with Bryant right now, but there’s another SEC program getting more of his attention of late.
“Right now, LSU has been on my phone a lot lately, and I’m liking what I’m hearing,” Bryant said. “I wouldn’t say more than South Carolina. But, it’s up there. It wasn’t up there a few months ago. But there’s no clear-cut favorite.”