Newly signed recruits practicing with Clemson before CFP game vs. Texas. Here’s how
Gideon Davidson and Easton Ware won a high school state title on Saturday.
By Monday, they were practicing with the Clemson football team.
That’s reality nowadays for high school football recruits, who can join their future programs and participate in practices leading up to bowl games as soon as they’ve formally signed with their college and have graduated from high school.
Davidson, a highly touted four-star running back recruit from Liberty Christian Academy in Virginia, and Ware, a three-star offensive lineman and Davidson’s prep teammate, are two of at least seven 2025 Clemson signees expected to participate in bowl practices with the Tigers as they prepare to face Texas in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Players such as Davidson, the No. 55 prospect in the country per 247Sports, can’t play in games. But they can participate in practice, sit in on team meetings, travel with the team and essentially function like a member of the roster ... weeks before they formally join the roster in the winter semester that starts in January 2025
Coach Dabo Swinney said those reps can be invaluable.
“Depending on how far we go, it’s a great opportunity for them to just shorten that learning curve and get going,” Swinney said last week. “And for us to get a head start where we can actually be on the field with them and teach, coach, practice and do some things that you’re limited on once the season is over.”
Which Clemson signees are practicing?
Clemson signed 15 high school recruits earlier this month to its Class of 2025, which ranks No. 27 nationally in the 247Sports team rankings. Of those 15 recruits, 13 are early enrollees who arrive in January 2025, as opposed to summer 2025.
And of those 13 midyear enrollees, Swinney said at least seven of them are expected to be on campus at some point this week practicing with the Tigers. All seven will also be part of Clemson’s travel party that flies out Thursday.
The current list of signees who will practice, as of this week:
4-star RB recruit Gideon Davidson
4-star OL recruit Easton Ware
4-star OL Brayden Jacobs
4-star ATH recruit Marquise Henderson
4-star WR recruit Juju Preston
3-star QB recruit Chris Denson
3-star S recruit Jakarrion Kenan
Rounding up such participants has been a bit of a scheduling beast.
Davidson and Ware, for example, had a straightforward schedule. They graduated from Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg earlier this month, won a Virginia state championship on Saturday and were in uniform and practicing by Monday.
Same for Denson, Clemson’s 2025 quarterback recruit from Plant City High School in Florida who was on campus and practicing on Monday.
Others have greater logistical hurdles. Jacobs, the son of former NFL running back Brandon Jacobs, played in a Georgia high school state championship game on Tuesday night and headed to Clemson right after so he can practice on Wednesday.
Swinney also said on Monday there’s a possibility 3-star offensive lineman Gavin Blanchard, who’s from Florida, makes it to practice this week.
Amare Adams, a 4-star defensive lineman signee from South Florence and the No. 1 player in the state of South Carolina, was also at Clemson’s practice on Tuesday. But he wasn’t dressed out and didn’t participate in drills in the media viewing period.
The Tigers’ list of early enrollees participating in bowl prep remains fluid and could change, especially if Clemson wins at Texas this weekend and advances to play Arizona State in Jan. 1 CFP quarterfinal at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.
“It’ll be good for those guys,” Swinney said. “They can help us. Just getting around them, getting them in meetings and things like that.”
Explaining NCAA rule change
Signees have been allowed to practice with their future college teams on campus, ahead of bowl games, for years.
That’s because of an NCAA bylaw that states a student-athlete can practice “during the official vacation period immediately preceding initial enrollment” as long as they’ve been accepted by their future school for enrollment, have graduated from high school and are academically eligible.
Two years ago, though, the NCAA tweaked that guidance further to allow signees to also travel with their future teams to bowl sites and practice there, too.
Swinney is a big fan of the rule, and Clemson traveled a number of signees to the Orange Bowl (2022) and Gator Bowl (2023).
A number of contributors on the 2024 roster — including sophomore DBs Khalil Barnes and Shelton Lewis, freshman LB Sammy Brown and freshman kicker Nolan Hauser — participated in bowl prep before formally joining the team.
“In the past, when you had a bowl game or a little more time to prep, those guys would come in and you’d get a little bit more like individual work with them,” Swinney said. “We don’t really have that situation in this case, because you’re playing right now and then if you win this one you’re basically turning right around again and getting ready to play again in nine days.”
The seven midyear enrollees practicing with Clemson this week will still be valuable to the team, Swinney said, and can immediately help out on scout team. Facetime sessions with their position coaches and sitting in on team meetings will be big, too.
Same with traveling to Austin to watch the No. 12 Tigers play at No. 5 Texas.
“It’ll be a good experience for them to see what it looks like,” Swinney said. “Smell it a little bit.”
2024 CFP first round: Clemson vs. Texas
- Who: No. 12 seed Clemson (10-3) at No. 5 Texas (11-2)
- When: 4 p.m. Saturday
- Where: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin
- TV: TNT
- Line: Texas by 11.5 points (VegasInsider)
- Next up: Winner faces No. 4 Arizona State in the Jan. 1 Peach Bowl
This story was originally published December 18, 2024 at 7:00 AM.
