CLEMSON RECRUITING

Philly native Ealey hopeful Tigers are first offer

Philly native Ealey hopeful Tigers are first offer


by - Staff Writer -

Amir Ealey moved from Philadelphia to South Carolina to better enjoy sports, and that move is beginning to pay off as he garners the attention of many big time programs across the southeast.

The 6-4, 232-pound 2015 tight end prospect from Irmo (SC) spent a day this past week at Dabo SwinneyDabo Swinney
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’s camp, where he drew a lot of attention from both Swinney and tight ends coach Danny PearmanDanny Pearman
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, Ealey has only been playing football for three years, but moving from the big city to South Carolina has helped him develop as a player and a person.

“I’ve only been playing football for three years because I’m originally from Philadelphia and I didn’t move down here until my eighth grade year,” Ealey told TigerNet Friday afternoon. “I’ve always loved football, but I never really got to play in Philadelphia because they don’t have a lot of organized teams. I moved down here because the sports are better down here. Moving to Irmo has been great for me in both basketball and football.”

As a freshman, Ealey caught two passes for 23 yards and touchdown; however, his progress as a tight end was halted his sophomore season as he was asked to play right tackle due to injuries on offensive line.

“The best thing I do is catch the ball, but what most people don’t know is that I played right tackle last year so my other strength is blocking,” Ealey said. “I played tight end my freshman year on varsity, but then last year we had a lot of injuries on the offensive line and my coach asked me if I would move to the line. I’m a team player so I did in order to help my team win.”

The Clemson coaches helped Ealey hone in his tight end skills through out the week, but he will continue to work with former Clemson tight end Durrell Barry – one of his coaches at the camp - as the two live just a few blocks away from each other.

“I had a great time. We worked a lot on route running, blocking and getting off the ball,” he said. “I worked a lot with former Clemson tight end Durrell Barry and that was a nice experience. I found out that he actually lives right down the street from me so I’ll be working out a lot with him over the summer.”

While working out with the Clemson coaches, Ealey also learned a little about the Tigers’ scheme- something he says fits his repertoire perfectly.

“I really like Clemson’s scheme because at Irmo we run the same thing,” he said. “They do so much with the tight end. Their tight ends can be flexed out like a wide receiver, down like a lineman or in the backfield like a full back. There just use tight ends in so man different ways.”

Although he doesn’t sport and offer yet, Ealey is hearing from several of the SEC schools and plans to make stops across the southeast to try and capture that elusive first offer.

“So far I’m hearing a lot from LSU, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Charlotte, Appalachian State, Michigan, and Kentucky,” he said. “This summer I plan to camp at Florida, South Carolina, Georgia and LSU.”

A return trip to Clemson is also on the agenda for later this summer and in the fall.

“The coaches said that they want me to come back up during the fall for a practice or a game, so I will definitely be making a return trip soon,” he said.

The dual-sport athlete has also received attention from Tulsa as a small forward in basketball.

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