Clemson commit proves he is "All In" with trip to National Championship

DeHond poses with head coach Dabo Swinney last year

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Wed Jan 18 15:22:25 GMT-04:00 2017

It's never certain that a recruit will sign on the dotted line until the papers come across on National Signing Day, but Clemson commit Noah DeHond proved last week that he is All In.

The 2017 offensive line commit was offered an opportunity of a lifetime, and one that he definitely couldn’t pass up, as a friend invited him to go to the College Football Playoff National Championship to see his future teammates take on Alabama.

Not only was he inside Raymond James Stadium when the Tigers claimed their first National Championship in 35 years, but he also had seats that most fans would’ve killed for.

“One of my friends wanted to go and he said he would get the tickets and I just had to show up, so I was like, 'Hell yeah, I'm going to go.' I brought him to Clemson one time and he loves Clemson football now, too, because the program just has that effect on people,” DeHond told TigerNet earlier this week. “He wanted to go and I said, 'Yeah.'

“We got there Saturday night and it was me, my friend, and another friend from Kansas that met up with us there. It was an awesome time. We went into town and went to the aquarium, and explored Tampa a little bit. It was nice because I got to see my grandparents while I was down there. Going to the game was such an awesome experience. It was one of those things where it was so close yet so far. We were on the fourth row in the lower section. It's something that I would've loved to have been on the field for and suited up wearing pads, but with everything that we have going on it's an opportunity that I'm going to have over the next few years, so I'm looking forward to being on the field for one of those.”

When Clemson trailed 14-0 early, DeHond said he got a little anxious, but he knew they wouldn’t give up without a fight.

“I'm not going to lie. I was a little nervous, but once they scored to make it 14-7, that kind of got the ball rolling,” DeHond said. “They had to get the jitters, but I can't say I can really blame them for being a little slow at the start. They're a resilient team and a resilient program, so I'm looking forward to being a part of that.”

Fast forward four days later and the Highstown (NJ) The Peddie School prospect was in Clemson for his official visit and to spend time with the rest of the 2017 commits.

“It was awesome. It was a great experience. It was awesome hanging out with all of the guys and solidifying all our class,” he said. “There's not a closer class in the country than us. I think our class is going to be one that when it's all said and done and we're walking down the hill on Senior Day, people are going to remember this class as one of Clemson's greatest and I'm excited to be a part of it.”

The highlight? Seeing where he will spend most of his time when arrives on campus in June.

“Holy crap, that's a nice building,” he said. “When I was down for the Pitt game, we walked through and it had come a long way since the summer, but now they've got the graphics up and the seats in and they're finishing up and putting pictures on the wall and finishing the weight room and this thing is going to be done. That's the nicest football operations center of any football team anywhere in the world and it's not even close.”