Clemson landed one of the state’s top defensive prospects on Saturday when DT Jaden Wuerth (6-3 275) of Dutch Fork made his commitment while visiting for a recruiting event. Clemson had long been viewed as the favorite for Wuerth, who also had offers from USC, Virginia Tech, NC State, Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, Vanderbilt, Penn State, Maryland, West Virginia and others.
Clemson defensive tackles coach Nick Eason had made Wuerth a high priority target since having him in camp last summer. Wuerth has made numerous visit to Clemson since then, and the relationship between the two had reached the point that it was time to formalize things.
“I just like the atmosphere. The culture and how it fits with me,” Wuerth said in late March. “I play hard, and I’m tough. That’s what they need more of on their team. He just sees me being able to come in and get playing time early and be a contributor early on.”
Wuerth, who is originally from the Augusta area, had 62 tackles with 18 tackles for loss and 14 sacks as a junior. He recently earned defensive line MVP honors in a camp in Atlanta.
Wuerth becomes the seventh commitment for Clemson’s 2027 class and the first on the defensive line.