For nation’s No. 1 football recruit, signing with surging Clemson was an easy choice

Bryan Bresee made the transition Wednesday from the country’s No. 1 high school football recruit — a title he has maintained for the past three years — to the latest top-flight prospect to lock in his signature to play for Clemson.

“Wherever I committed I was gonna stick with,” Bresee said. “It’s Clemson because of the coaching staff and family atmosphere. The great culture they have makes it easy to want to be there.”

The five-star defensive tackle was joined by his parents, grandparents and sister on the first day of the early signing period at Damascus High School at a ceremony for athletes to sign their letters of intent.

Bresee (pronounced Bri-ZEE) helps round out an elite 2020 class for the Tigers. He is among six five-star recruits who have signed with Clemson, according to 247Sports, the most of any college football program this year. (Alabama is landing the second-most number of five-star recruits with three.)

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney compared the 6-foot-5, 290-pound Bresee to Tigers great Christian Wilkins, who was selected No. 13 overall by the Miami Dolphins in this year’s NFL Draft.

“Bryan Bresee is Christian Wilkins — athleticism, dynamic, kinda freaky athletic for a big guy like that,” Swinney said, “but he’s stronger and more heavy-handed and maybe a little more violent at this stage, coming out of high school, than Christian was.”

It’s the most five-star recruits Clemson has signed in a class. In 2018, the Tigers secured five top-tier commits in a class that included quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Bresee, as well as quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and defensive end Myles Murphy, are top recruits who are set to join Clemson’s roster and help the Tigers continue their dominant run starting next year.

“Over the last 10 years or so, [Clemson] has been a threat to land a five-star or two,” said 247Sports’ director of football scouting Barton Simmons. “But as the program has taken incremental steps on the national stage, obviously their ability to win those battles just continues to grow.”

Bresee had his pick among the nation’s best football programs through the recruiting process. He was courted by Alabama, Georgia, Penn State and Ohio State, but was drawn to Clemson for more than just the team’s record. It was the people in the program that made it feel like his future home, he and his family said.

“It’s the relationship that Bryan built with the coaching staff there,” said Bryan’s father, Richie Bresee. “It was also just the culture of the program and the types of kids they recruited.”

Bresee is described by coaches and scouts as being athletic and agile, a potent combination when paired with his frame. He is expected to bring to Clemson what he brought to a highly successful Damascus program the last four years.

“[Bryan] has done so much for this school,” said Damacus offensive and defensive line coach Bill Burns. “It’s really such a tight community and he’s really helped bring it together. Friday nights, the town shuts down. The past three years people have said, ‘Oh I saw Bryan Bresee play. My son got his autograph.’”

Bresee will soon be signing autographs in a much larger arena. It’s a transition he said he is ready for.

“Just a new stage in my life,” Bresee said. “It’s definitely going to be different but I’m excited to start the next chapter.”

This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 7:17 PM.