Clemson trying to again reach into California for top national football recruit
Clemson already has one commitment from California for the 2019 class in wide receiver Joseph Nagata. They could land a second one Saturday in linebacker Spencer Lytle. And the Tigers just offered a third Golden State prospect in defensive lineman Jacob Bandes (6-foot-3, 295 pounds) of Antioch and he plans to take an official visit in December.
Clemson defensive line coach Todd Bates has been talking with Bandes for about a month and the two have hit it off well.
“He was talking about how he likes my hands, my motor, the way I can pull down on double teams, and he likes my film from The Opening,” Bandies said. “He’s said nothing but good things about me.”
And after about a month of conversations, Bandes got the call from Bates informing him of the offer.
“It was unbelievable. It was amazing because of the history of that school, the championships they’ve had, it’s unbelievable,” Bandes said. “It’s really hard for a West Coast kid to get a lot of SEC (offers) and like a really far away conference school. It doesn’t really happen that much unless you’re a really good player. It’s really hard for a West Coast kid to get SEC, ACC offers out here. I’m not saying I’m good but you have to be really good to get the offers.”
And Bandes apparently is really good. He’s already accepted an offer to the Army All-American Game. He was a standout defensive lineman at The Opening. And last season, according stats from MaxPreps, he totaled 50 tackles with eight tackles for loss, six sacks and 10 quarterback hurries. He had 19 tackles for loss as a sophomore.
Bandes said distance is not an issue when it comes to a decision. In fact, he has family in Myrtle Beach and is no stranger to the Palmetto State.
He has already taken an official visit to Colorado and has scheduled officials to Illinois on Sept. 7, Oregon on Oct. 12 and Washington in Dec. 14.
He said he will graduate and sign early.
This story was originally published August 1, 2018 at 12:11 PM.