Clemson visit, Dabo Swinney leave good impression on 4-star WR Craig Dandridge

The Clemson visit certainly left an impression on Dandridge, telling TigerNet that this kind of trip sets a baseline of what to look for in a school. Certainly, the Tigers have set the bar high.

Grayson Mann · Staff Writer · Wednesday, March 05 2025

All it takes is one message.

That’s how the ball got rolling for 2026 WR Craig Dandridge of Alpharetta (GA) Cambridge regarding Clemson.

Tyler Grisham has had his eye out on Dandridge for quite some time, and made sure the Tigers threw their hat into the ring for his talent.

According to various recruiting outlets, 2025 has been a whirlwind for the Georgia wideout, who has risen to the level of a four-star prospect.

Clemson has noticed, and made sure to get him on campus as quickly as possible. The staff made sure he was one of the first ones on campus in 2025, ensuring the interest between both sides was known to be mutual.

Dandridge spoke to TigerNet about his first time getting that kind of visit on Clemson’s campus. Not only did he get the full scope of what campus was about, but he also got a few extra items on the itinerary.

“One of the main things we did was the NFL Combine interview,” Dandridge said. “I was the first person to do that. And that was really cool, really cool experience to already help me get prepared. I'm not even on a roster yet. I’m still in high school and it was cool that they thought to take care of me like that. So I was really appreciative of it.”

Not only did Dandridge get to experience a look into how the staff takes care of him, but before heading out to watch practice, he also sat down with Dabo Swinney in his office.

The four-star talent had always heard rumblings about what Swinney was really like but had never experienced it for himself. The head coach's genuine nature blew away the young receiver.

“I've only heard good things about Coach Swinney,” Dandridge said. “Everyone comes back. He's a great, great coach. He's just really wise. And then I got to experience it for myself. He's energetic. He can tell that he cares about what he does and that's why he's been at equipment for so long. He cares very much about the players, the staff, everyone from the person that checks your weight to his assistant coaches. He cares about everybody the same. And it really showed when he was talking to me when I got that offer, it was just like, wow. He was really talking about me as a person.

"He broke down how I play my family, how he likes my family. He knows everything about me, school grade, what I like to do, my habits, and football and stuff like that. But when he extended that offer to me was like, dang, he really knows me as a person and a player and that's why he likes me, not just he knows me as a player.”

The Clemson visit certainly left an impression on Dandridge, telling TigerNet that this kind of trip sets a baseline of what to look for in a school. Certainly, the Tigers have set the bar high.

As it stands, Dandridge has official visits set up with Clemson, Georgia, and Georgia Tech. Swinney will get the first crack at him on May 30th, and the in-state programs will follow shortly after.

While the Georgia native doesn’t plan on attending the Elite Retreat on March 8th, the impression this visit left on him could carry over for a few months.