Rising Ohio OT Ben Congdon visited by Matt Luke in early stages of Clemson relationship

Matt Luke paid a visit to Ohio to see Ben Congdon of Tuscarawas Valley to begin crafting a relationship that only has already started to sprout.

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Sunday, January 19 2025

Matt Luke continues to do work on the recruiting trail.

After a three-day dead period to start the week, it was back to the road for the Clemson offensive line coach.

This time, it was paying a visit to Ohio to see Ben Congdon of Tuscarawas Valley (Ohio) to begin crafting a relationship that only has already started to sprout.

Congdon is a rising prospect in the class of 2026, beginning to receive national interest from the top programs in the country.

The Ohio tackle has received offers from Miami, Penn State, Ole Miss, North Carolina State, and several others.

Recently, Congdon has been visited by Clemson, North Carolina State, and Ohio State, with multiple programs taking advantage of the new two weeks of visits.

Luke made sure to throw his hat into the ring.

While the Tigers haven’t offered him just yet, the home visit was an opportunity to learn about Clemson’s process in every facet of their program.

“We talked about the portal, how he uses it, how the team uses it,” Congdon said. “We talked about the offer process, about how strict they are, and everything that goes through the head coach. We also talked about our families and life.”

Luke’s home visit was very much an opportunity to meet Congdon for the first time, with the young prospect telling TigerNet that the pair just started texting this week, with Luke making a big step in their budding relationship.

Congdon’s impression of Clemson is very simple: they care, and have a reputation as a team that will always have a shot at the playoffs. Having reached the CFP for the first time in four years in Luke’s first year, that reputation has been upheld.

Luke also walked the young tackle through the process of getting an offer, which would involve visiting Clemson to see Dabo Swinney and evaluate Congdon as a fit for the program.

For now, an offer would mean a lot to the Ohio prospect, seeing Swinney’s program as one that cares about the player and the person they are.

“It would mean a lot,” Congdon said. “They're obviously a great football program, and they care about not just football, but everything else about the person.”

Great in home visit with @CoachMattLuke this morning! Ready to get down to campus soon. Go Tigers! pic.twitter.com/Fb4pZsfq8E
— Ben Congdon (@Bencongdon58) January 17, 2025