OT Carter Jones (6-6 290) of Pogouoson, VA plans to announce his commitment on Monday, and multiple recruiting analysts are projecting him to Clemson. Jones has been involved as a Tiger recruit for over two years, and with his last official visit scheduled for May 29th, it’s almost as if the Tigers are seeing an old friend once again.
Clemson offensive line coach Matt Luke has been the driving force behind Jones’ recruitment for as long as he’s been on the staff, and it’s clear that he and Jones are quite the pair.
“I’ve known him for a while, and it’s definitely going to be like coming back down to see someone, especially since I know so much about him, know a lot about his family, and know a lot about Harrison (Luke’s son),” Jones relayed. “I’m very excited just to get back down and spend time with him.”
Jones has narrowed down his recruitment to four schools: Clemson, Penn State, Georgia, and Tennessee. He’s already made official visits to the other three, and he’s excited about next week’s trip to Clemson.
“I’m really just hoping to gain more knowledge about the program and kind of how everything’s going to be run and just get to spend more time with the coaches,” Jones said. “I think I’ve already had a lot of time with Coach Swinney, and they’ve shown me that I’m their number one priority. I think that’s a really big deal to me, especially being wanted by such an amazing program, given the culture Coach Swinney already has in place.”
With this being a multi-day visit, he’s hoping to gain a further understanding of what life could be like at Clemson.
“I’m looking to get out of it is kind of just see a little bit more of campus, too, because during recruiting you’ll get to see a ton of campus,” Jones explained. “That’s something I haven’t seen from them yet. But outside of that, really, it’s just going to be coming back down there and getting to spend more time with the coaches and the players.”
And with the decision Monday being predicted to be for the Tigers, that will make his official visit just that much more important to him.
“I’m very excited just to have the decision,” he confessed. “Not out of the way, but I think I’m excited to have it kind of like solidified on where my future is going to take me. And also just excited to become a recruiter and help keep building a class wherever I go.”
Jones would become the 11th commitment for Clemson’s 2027 class and the first for the offensive line.