Clemson adds to 2019 haul with South Florida O-lineman

Clemson swung and missed on some prime offensive line targets in recent weeks.

The Tigers considered in-state candidates Jimmy Fritzsche and Cooper Dawson. But late last week they offered Kaleb Boateng of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and he let Dabo Swinney know right away he was his man.

The 6-foot-4, 290-pound Boateng signed with the Tigers on Wednesday.

“They had been talking to me throughout the season a little bit, just checking out how I was doing in games,” Boateng said. “This past Friday the coaches asked me to send all of my transcripts and everything and then later that day I got on FaceTime with Dabo Swinney and he offered me. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity. I was kind of shocked right after.”

Boateng took an unofficial visit to Clemson last March. Last weekend he took an official visit to Arizona and he also considered Maryland and FAU. But the Clemson offer topped them all.

“When I talked to them on Friday, I knew I was probably going there,” he said. “I would say the number one thing to me is the whole program is a family. One major thing is academics. They aren’t just setting players up for the league. I know they have the PAW Journey program, which is very elite. Team bonding, the entire program is always hanging out together and doing stuff and I feel like the people you hang out with off the field builds chemistry on the field, so that’s a huge thing to me.”

Boateng will be an early enrollee and he’s eager to get started in his development under offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell.

“I’m pretty sure at Clemson I’ll be an interior lineman — center or guard. I’m just trying to help the team as much as possible. If the team says, ‘Hey, we need you to long snap,’ I’m going to figure out how to long snap,” he said.

Offensive line target Will Putnam of Tampa, Fla., is still on the Clemson board with an announcement set for 1 p.m. Thursday.

Tigers hold off FSU for defender

Clemson will take a hit on the defensive line after this season and 2019, so the Tigers are replenishing that part of the team with this year’s class.

They added a major cog Wednesday in Tyler Davis (6-2, 260) of Apopka, Florida. The Tigers held off Florida State to get his signature on a national letter of intent.

“My decision weighed heavily on just how [the coaches and players] responded to me and everything,” Davis told the Orlando Sentinel. “I felt more comfortable with Clemson. They’re both family oriented and it was very difficult. I really like [FSU] Coach Odell [Haggins] and Coach [Willie] Taggart, but for me I thought Clemson was the best choice for me.”

Davis took official visits to both schools in September and then took his time to let it all sink in. Florida State did its best to try to keep him in-state but Davis told the Sentinel that Clemson’s allure was just too strong.

“I feel like I connect better with their players and I like coach Dabo [Swinney] a lot and I like Coach [Brent] Venables the defensive coordinator and the D-line [Todd Bates]. I feel like I just like what they’re doing right now.”

This story was originally published December 19, 2018 at 2:34 PM.