Upstate defender hoping Clemson camp performance leads to offer from Tigers

Mauldin linebacker Deuce Caldwell spent much of Tuesday at Clemson with his mother getting the grand tour of the football facilities and the campus. He met with several people, from coaches to players.

Everything was perfect for Caldwell, but he did not leave with an offer. That could change Thursday.

“I had a great time talking to some players and meeting some players,” said Caldwell, who was able to interact with quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, tailback Darien Rencher and wide receiver Joseph Ngata. “They were all welcoming. I really had a great time.”

And it was a busy time for Caldwell, who arrived mid-morning and left late afternoon.

“We did everything from bowling to shooting basketball,” said Caldwell, who is also a standout basketball player for Legacy Charter. “We went to the business center, to the library, all around campus. We went to the practice field, game field, Lake Hartwell. We went to the dorms. We had a good meal that the chef made. And we had a photo shoot. You know I had No. 2 on.”

Caldwell would love an offer from the Tigers, and he felt the vibe he got from the coaches he met with was positive in that area.

“I feel really good,” Caldwell said. “I was with coach (Mickey) Conn. Coach Conn was with me the whole day. That was a real good blessing. I’ve known him since the ninth grade. The relationship we have is really great right now. Coach (Brent) Venables had dinner with me and my mom. He sat down and talked to us for about an hour about different things, about the school. I play for Cam Newton’s 7 on 7, so he was talking to us about that, and talking about the different programs they have all around, so that was real good.”

Caldwell gets another shot at that offer this week. He’ll be at the first camp session Thursday and he’s ready for his skills to speak for him.

“I’m just hoping God has a great thing coming my way soon,” Caldwell said. “As of right now, they want to see me in camp, see how I move. I feel confident enough to walk away on Thursday with an offer.”

Caldwell has an official visit to North Carolina set for June 15 and one to UCF June 25. He’s not going to any other camps, but he’ll be at USC June 24 with his 7 on 7 club.

Last season Caldwell had 38 tackles with two pass break ups. He also scored seven offensive touchdowns. As a sophomore, he had 59 tackles with four tackles for loss, four interceptions and five passes broken up. He’s the state’s No. 16 overall prospect this recruiting cycle, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Clemson recruiting notes: Tigers offer Matayo Uiagalelei

Clemson has offered a large group of prospects this week:

• 2023 DE Matayo Uiagalelei (6-4 255) of Bellflower, California brother of Tigers quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei. He’s rated a four-star and ranked the #3 edge rusher nationally in his class.
• LB Jaren Kanak (6-2 210) of Hays, Kansas. He’s on a visit to Clemson this week. He has officials set to Nebraska this weekend and Washington State June 17. He also has offers from both in-state Power 5 programs, along with Iowa, Penn State, Colorado, Oklahoma State, Michigan, Kentucky, Arizona, Virginia, Wisconsin, Florida, Southern Cal and Texas A&M. He’s a three-star in the 247Sports Composite and ranked the No. 1 prospect in Kansas.
• 4-star LB DeMario Tolan (6-2 205) of Orlando. He’s at Clemson for a two-day visit. He’s also going to visit Tennessee, Georgia, Florida State, Florida, Auburn, LSU and Miami in June. He’s ranked the #27 LB nationally.
• 2023 DE Kelby Collins of Gardendale, Alabama. He’s a four-star in the 247Sports Composite and ranked the No. 6 prospect in Alabama in his class.
• 2023 five-star DT Peter Woods (6-5 260) of Alabaster, Alabama. He’s ranked the No. 1 player in Alabama and the No. 2 DL nationally in his class in the 247Sports Composite. He plans to visit Clemson Wednesday.
• 2023 DT Damon Wilson (6-4 230) of Venice, Florida. He’s a four-star in the 247Sports Composite and ranked 34th nationally among defensive linemen in his class.
• 2023 SAF Sonny Styles (6-4 205) of Pickerington, Ohio. He’s a five-star and ranked the No. 1 safety nationally in his class in the 247Sports Composite. He will visit Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State this week.
• 2023 LB Raylen Wilson (6-2 201) of Tallahassee. He’s rated a 4-star by 247Sports and ranked the No. 10 LB nationally in his class.
• 2023 CB Tony Mitchell (6-2 180) of Alabaster, Alabama. He’s rated a five-star in the 247Sports Composite and ranked the No. 1 corner nationally in his class. Last season he had 82 tackles, 8 pass deflections and 4 interceptions.
• 2023 LB Malik Bryant (6-3 210) of IMG Academy. He’s a five-star in the 247Sports Composite and ranked the No. 12 prospect in the class and the No. 2 edge rusher.
• 2023 LB Josiah Trotter (6-2 225) of Philadelphia. He’s a four-star in the 247Sports Composite and ranked the No. 11 linebacker nationally in his class. His father is former NFL LB Jeremiah Trotter and his brother is a freshman LB at Clemson.
• 2023 LB Tackett Curtis (6-2 205) of Many, Louisiana. He’s a four-star in the 247Sports Composite and ranked No. 5 linebacker nationally in his class.
• 2023 LB Anthony Hill (6-2 225) of Denton, Texas. He’s a five-star and ranked the No. 1 prospect in Texas and No. 1 edge rusher nationally, No. 8 overall.
• DT Lebbeus Overton (6-5 265) of Alpharetta, Georgia. He’s rated the No. 1 prospect nationally in the 2023 class in the 247Sports Composite.
• 2023 LB Drayk Bowen (6-2 215) of Merrillville, Indiana. He’s a five-star and the No. 1 ranked linebacker in the class in the 247Sports Composite. Last season he had 80 tackles with 13 tackles for loss and 5 sacks.
• 2023 DE DJ Hicks (6-4 250) of Allen, Texas. He’s a five-star and ranked the No. 8 DL nationally in his class in the 247Sports Composite. He had 52 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and five sacks last season.
• 2023 DL Victor Burley (6-4 255) of Warner Robins, Georgia. He’s a five-star and the No. 7 DL nationally in his class in the 247Sports Composite.