Clemson lineman target Bear McWhorter says Death Valley atmosphere exceeded expectations

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The fans weren’t the only ones treated to a historic home opener.

Several highly touted recruits made the trip for Clemson’s matchup against Appalachian State.

One of those in attendance was 2026 guard Bear McWhorter of White (GA) Cass High School.

When scheduling his game visits, he knew he had to return to Clemson as soon as possible.

“I visited late in July and got offered a couple of days later,” McWhorter said. “Once I went over everything, and just from then, I looked at the earliest possible time I could come back for a game. I liked it, mapped out some of the other top schools I needed to visit, and figured out my high school schedule and everything. Once I got everything kind of mapped out, we were able to settle on the home opener, which is cool. And it was really good. It was a night game, and so I just contacted Coach Luke, let him know we were going to be there, and then talked to recruiting guys from there and set everything up.”

Back in July, McWhorter spoke to TigerNet about his summer recruitment process and felt Clemson was one of the top schools on his list.

The atmosphere of Death Valley certainly helped the Tigers’ standing.

“Oh, it was awesome,” McWhorter said. “I mean, I've always been told Clemson has one of the best atmospheres, and just seeing it for myself is probably better than I was expecting. But it was really cool. We were down on the sideline for warmups. They took us up on the top of the hill to watch them come down and then back around and set me and my family down in the front row. The crowd was into it the whole time. Very loud, with a lot of energy. It was awesome.”

When evaluating his options, the energy a stadium can bring to McWhorter as a player is incredibly important to him.

As the points piled on for the Tigers, the fans in attendance remained in their seats. Everyone wanted to see how such a historic night would continue to shape, and it left quite the impression on the junior guard.

“Yeah, that's huge for me,” McWhorter said. “That's one of the biggest things through my recruitment processes, game day atmosphere, just because you only get so many opportunities to play and just want to play in front of the biggest, loudest, most hyped up crowd possible. So, I am just seeing everybody that is into it the entire time. It says a lot about the fan base, what everyone thinks of Clemson, and how much everyone loves it.”

As far as McWhorter’s timeline is concerned, he plans to narrow down his list following the conclusion of his junior season, hoping to announce his commitment by July.

The junior has had a Clemson offer since late July and told TigerNet the staff has done a great job communicating with him. The Tigers find themselves at the top of his list.

“They're very high at the top,” McWhorter said. “Coach Luke does a great job. He reaches out all the time. Coach Cramer does as well. So, it's hard to put Clemson anywhere else but the top at this point.”

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