Clemson coach Dabo Swinney scored his first commitment Sunday night from the recruiting gathering of around 40 prospects over the weekend. LB Bryce Kish (6-4 220) of Howell, MI announced his pledge to the Tigers through Hayes Fawcett of Rivals.
Kish and his family spent roughly 13 hours on campus on Saturday, taking in every aspect of the Clemson program.
“It didn’t feel that long because I had a great time,” Kish said. “We had stuff going on the entire time. We toured where the football players would be. We went to the field, the locker room. Obviously, that place has state of the art recovery. State of the art everything. That’s awesome. But really what did it for me was the coaching staff and how they are all aligned and all striving for the same goals and same things. All have endeavors of growing closer to God, and that’s what really set it over for me.”
Clemson linebackers coach Ben Boulware and defensive coordinator Tom Allen have his go to guys with the Tigers, and they’ve given him a good idea of how they see him fitting in.
“They see me three position linebacker, possibly walking down to the line to rush the passer on third downs,” Kish said. “Playing Mike or Will, they like my length and that I can run. They really like what I have already, and going forward allows you to grow. I’m just going to grow better into their defense as time goes.”
Kish got the chance to see the Tigers practice on Saturday. In particular, he got the chance to see Boulware and the other coaches do their jobs.
“Coach Boulware himself has won a championship there and was a team captain,” he said. “Coach Allen had lots of prior experience. Just seeing the way they coach, they are real guys. They are not fake. They coach the way they coach and they are not ashamed about it. I love the way they coach. I love the way they do things. They are passionate, loud. They get after it, and that attracts me.”
Kish had previously scheduled official visits to Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, and Minnesota. He also had offers from Wisconsin, Rutgers, Iowa, Boston College, Cal, Connecticut, Liberty, and others. None of that matters to him any longer, and he will return to Clemson for his official visit May 29th.
“I promised God, and I told Coach Swinney, that I’m a hundred percent committed,” Kish. “Nothing is going to change my decision.”
Last season, Kish rushed for 700 yards and 14 touchdowns per MaxPreps. No defensive stats were posted.
Kish is Clemson’s sixth commitment for the 2027 class and the second at the linebacker position.