Clemson lands commitment from one of nation’s best defensive tackles
Clemson has consistently landed some of the top defensive line recruits in the country in recent years. That trend continued Tuesday night.
The Tigers received a commitment from four-star prospect Payton Page, who announced his decision on Instagram. The Greensboro, North Carolina native chose Clemson over his two other finalists — North Carolina and Tennessee. Page also holds offers from Alabama, LSU, Georgia and others.
“They just treat me differently from other schools because schools will usually say one thing and they don’t mean it. But I trust Clemson in what they are saying,” Page said. “You are going to have to work for your starting position. That is what they told me. That is the most real thing I’ve heard yet. Talking to some other schools, they tell me that I have a starting position right out of the gate. I know that is a lie.”
Page is massive at 6-foot-4, 360 pounds. He is rated as the No. 7 defensive tackle in the country and the No. 80 overall prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
In addition to Clemson’s honesty, Page also cited defensive coordinator Brent Venables and defensive tackles coach Todd Bates as reasons why he chose the Tigers.
“Coach Bates and Coach Venables are cool dudes, but I can tell when you hit that field they mean business,” Page said. “The message I got from them both was really what everyone that I met has said, I won’t just leave Clemson a better football player but everything they are going to teach me will help me to be a better man, because If I am fortunate (enough) to make it to the pros, what will 30 (years) look like after the pros?”
Page is Clemson’s 14th commit for the class of 2021. The Tigers have also had two players decommit in Jordan Hancock and Korey Foreman.
Page joins four-star defensive ends Cade Denhoff and Zaire Patterson as defensive line commits for the class of 2021. The Tigers currently have the No. 4 ranked class in the nation behind Ohio State, Alabama and Oregon.
The Tigers signed four defensive linemen for the class of 2020, including five-star recruits Bryan Bresee and Myles Murphy.
— Phil Kornblut contributed
This story was originally published July 28, 2020 at 6:07 PM.
