Before his senior football season began, Marcus Edmond thought he knew where he was headed. The Lower Richland athlete had committed to North Carolina State after establishing a strong relationship with the coaching staff.

But on Wednesday, the National Letter of Intent that Edmond signed was with Clemson.

Edmond, the only local player headed to either of the state’s major Division-I programs, committed to the Tigers in January after a coaching shake up forced him to reconsider his options.

N.C. State fired coach Tom O’Brien in late November as Edmond, also a star guard for the Diamond Hornets’ basketball team, was switching sports.

So in the midst of trying to push his hoops squad to the top of Class 3A, Edmond had to restart the recruiting process.

“It was unexpected because I was really sure about my choice of N.C. State, and I was happy to have made that decision,” Edmond said. “Now, I’m really excited to be going to Clemson.”

Edmond led the Diamond Hornets at quarterback for the past two seasons, but he made a bigger name for himself in recruiting circles at defensive back.

When former N.C. State secondary coach Mike Reed was hired at Clemson, Edmond was among a handful of N.C. State commits who considered following him.

“Coach Reed and I have a great relationship, and I did always like Clemson. I decided to invest in him at Clemson the way he invested in me when he recruited me at N.C. State,” said Edmond, who plans to study engineering.

Edmond is no stranger to change. Diamond Hornets coach Daryl Page, who was hired last summer just as Edmond was making his initial decision, is the third coach Edmond has played under at Lower Richland. All have spoken highly of the three-sport athlete.

“I’ve had the opportunity to coach some good ones, and this kid is as good as I’ve ever had,” Page said. “The combination of athleticism and intelligence is just remarkable. I only regret that I only had one year with him. When our season came to an end, he was really coming into his own.”