Clemson's Elite Retreat producing weekend fireworks

Big 4-star lineman Adam Guthrie kicked things off Friday with a commitment.

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Sunday, March 09 2025

Clemson’s Elite Retreat was…elite.

That type of word might be low-hanging fruit, but we previewed the significance of a weekend like this for recruiting, and we can say with confidence that the staff excelled in accomplishing its goal.

The Tigers secured three commitments to vault into the Top 10 of the recruiting rankings. We can add that there are also more commitments on the way, and this weekend went incredibly well for those we have spoken to.

Whether that goes public in the coming days remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: Clemson’s 2026 class is building an incredible foundation. Let’s chat about those commitments, shall we?

Starting with Adam Guthrie of Washington Court House (OH) Miami Trace, the Tigers secured a marquee pledge for the trenches, and we’ve spoken on what Guthrie brings to the table as a player.

For Guthrie’s size (6-7 300), he simply explodes off the screen in his game tape, and Luke will have a lot to work with when he arrives on campus. It came down to Penn State, Ohio State, and Clemson, and Tigers O-line coach Matt Luke emerged victorious.

Luke's star power on the recruiting trail is a distinct advantage for Clemson, and he hasn’t been on campus for ages to establish himself. This felt like Luke’s fresh look at players with the 2025 class rounding into form when he was hired. Luke was simply icing on the cake for those prospects.

Clemson is in the running for several more top products within the trenches, and it is safe to bet that this weekend boosted those chances. Luke wasn’t the only position coach who had a great weekend.

Tyler Grisham picked up two top wideouts in the span of an hour on Saturday night.

We’ve raved about Naeem Burroughs of Jacksonville (FL) The Bolles School and Connor Salmin of Potomac (MD) The Bullis School for quite some time, both bringing a different element to the table.

Salmin has the speed to take the top off any defense and displays that on the gridiron and in track and field.

Burroughs is a dazzling playmaker as a slot wideout, bringing precision and speed to the forefront. Both are considered top prospects in their respective state, and both announced Clemson pledges within minutes of each other. The Tigers also beat out big players like USC, Texas, and Florida to land the Jacksonville native Burroughs.

Clemson took plenty of hits for losing some star power late into the game last class, and 2026 looked to be a fork in the road for the Tigers’ recruiting power.

If this weekend proved anything, this program can be a major player on the recruiting trail.

The transfer portal can improve you, but championships are won on the recruiting trail. Three prospects won’t make magic overnight, but this weekend went a long way in pumping some juice back into this area of Clemson Football.

And more is on the way.

pic.twitter.com/ZZWAvYlETA
— Adam Guthrie (@AdamGuthrie21) March 8, 2025

LETS GOOOO🐅🐅🐅 https://t.co/XTOh0cOqlr
— Naeem “Tha Dream” Burroughs (@ThaDr3am__) March 9, 2025

First I want to give all the glory to God! Coach Swinney and Coach Grish are amazing coaches! They have a strong foundation and I want to be apart of that! Go tigers!🐅🐅 https://t.co/PSL8Z5e8R4
— Naeem “Tha Dream” Burroughs (@ThaDr3am__) March 9, 2025