Earlier this month, Chancellor Barclay not only took his first ever visit to Clemson, it was also his first time visiting anywhere in the entire state of South Carolina.
The 4-star offensive lineman (First Academy, Lake Mineola, Fl) worked out at Dabo Swinney’s high school the first week in June, and the blue-chip talent came away thinking camping at Clemson was a little different than camping at other schools.
“It’s definitely different than all the other camps,” Barclay told The Clemson Insider. “They go straight into it. They definitely go straight into it. There’s no warm ups. You got to prepare yourself and stuff like that. A lot of different stations when it comes to offensive line groups. They work you hard. It’s all about effort, all about finishing over there. They’re really in tune when it comes to that effort and intensity that you bring. Probably just like a Clemson practice. You got to give full effort, full finish. You got to compete all day.”
Camping at Clemson also gave Barclay an opportunity to experience offensive line coach Matt Luke’s coaching style and the 6-foot-4, 290-pound recruit was not disappointed.
“Matt Luke brings the energy,” Barclay said. “Most offensive line coaches all bring energy, all bring intensity. They want to see you do well. But coach Matt Luke brings energy wherever he goes. Just goes along the different stations pepping people up whenever they need to, doing drills and stuff like that. He’s yelling at top prospects. He’s just bringing the energy up. He’s bringing energy and intensity. Setting the standard high when it comes to the intensity and the level of energy you need to have just being out here doing some simple drills. That’s what impressed me the most.”
Barclay performed so well, he came away with an offer from the Tigers. He is just one of ten offensive linemen to currently hold an offer from Clemson.
While the goal going into camp was to earn one of those coveted offers, Barclay wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
“When you go to a camp, you’re always wanting to do well and exceed the coaches expectations,” he said. “You always expect something. But I was going in there with a mindset that I’m going to try to impress Matt Luke and do whatever I can so he can see that I’m different than the others. And of course, I was blessed with an offer. But you can’t always expect it until it really happens. You don’t really know. So when it happened, it was also a surprise, but I was also expecting it. It’s always a blessing from above. All the glory to our Lord and Savior.”
“Coach Matt Luke, of course, told me that they only offer about 50-60 guys in each class. Comparing to someone like Tennessee, who is around like 250, you know, very slim chances. Because they have a whole profile list that they need you to check off before they can feel confident about offering you.”
Barclay now has more than two dozen offers, with Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and Penn State being just a few. However, there is something he said separates Clemson from some of the others.
“Definitely the culture,” Barclay said. “I’ve heard so many things about it, but I hadn’t actually seen it. It’s different when it comes to culture. I of course, got to experience Death Valley, the hill, it was amazing. The culture, it’s just… everything’s so different. It’s different to a point that culture is like the main thing there. That’s why coach Dabo Swinney is so respected. He doesn’t take people from the transfer portal. People see it, just through what he’s built at Clemson.”
With Barclay just now getting set to head into his junior season, he is admittedly still very early in the process. As it stands, he is thinking he will be committed by the start of his senior season, although those plans are tentative.
“I still have a lot of time left, two years. So I’m not trying to make a full decision,” Barclay said. But I do have schools that I believe are recruiting me the most, which I have interest in if you get what I’m saying. So I’m not making the decision yet. Get up to my junior year and then going into my senior year, I will make a decision by then. I’m going to pray about it and stuff like that. I got to get His guidance because He’s brought me here, and I’m just a vessel doing His work. So I’m asking for guidance, and wherever He believes I fit best, that is where I will go.”
Although, as things stand currently, Clemson has positioned themselves well, and Barclay has been feeling the love.
“Yeah, Clemson is at the top of my radar,” Barclay said. “Ever since June 15, coach Matt Luke has been texting me, making sure I know that Clemson is recruiting me. A lot of Clemson’s recruiting coordinators also reached out to me. It’s good to feel the love from Clemson.”
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