After Latest Visit, Georgia Lineman 'Loves' Clemson

High school athletes from near and far made the trek to Clemson last month for Dabo Swinney’s high school camp.

One of those was 2027 OL Carter Mathis (Gainesville, GA), who was attending camp for the very first time. Despite being a little younger than some of the other linemen, the 6-foot-7, 290-pound prospect stood out.

“I loved it because there was a lot of teaching,” Mathis told The Clemson Insider. “And there was a lot of effort put into all the kids that were there. It was one of the better camps that I’ve been to far as that goes.”

Despite that being his first time meeting Matt Luke, getting to learn from the the Tigers’ first-year offensive line coach is something that felt a little familiar to Mathis.

“I really like the way he coached,” he said. “He reminded me a lot of my offensive line coach at Gainesville. I mean, it was just that it felt familiar.”

While this was Mathis’ first time at camp, it was not his first time on campus. The rising high school sophomore has made two game day visits, including last year’s win over Notre Dame, and Clemson has already left a lasting impression.

“I really like how faith-centered it is,” Mathis said. “It’s a program about being a better person, and making yourself the best man you can be. And I like that.”

After his performance at camp, the coaches told him they would be watching as he continues to develop.

“They said that they would keep in touch,” Mathis added. “They said they’d heard about me. After the camp, they said they would keep in touch and would be following me the next few years.”

As a member of the 2027 class, Mathis’ recruitment is really just getting started and Clemson is still about a year out from even starting to offer kids in his class. However, when that time does come, Mathis is hopeful at some point he will get that call from the Tigers.

“It would mean the world to me,” Mathis said. “I love Clemson’s program, and I love it’s 60 miles from my house. That’s really easy for me to make my rounds from home and school and people from around here could make make it up there to go see me. That academic program of theirs is outstanding, all that. And coach Luke, what I’ve seen of him, he’s a great guy. It would mean they world to me.”

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