Swinney Camp Finale: Grady Jarrett's cousin highlights an end to camp

Perry-Wright works out with Nick Eason this morning.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sun Jun 09 11:34:44 GMT-04:00 2024

CLEMSON – And just like that, head coach Dabo Swinney’s high school camp has come to a close.

The final session of Swinney’s annual camp was held Sunday morning, and the turnout was your typical Sunday camp fare – low on overall talent and the number of campers. But that also gives me an opportunity to stake out certain position groups for a longer period of time and hold conversations I don’t usually have the time to hold.

The first player on the list was Buford (GA) 2026 4-star Bryce Perry-Wright. He has offers from all of the big names and was Clemson’s first 2026 offer at the defensive tackle position. At one point he had Clemson coaches Da’Quan Bowers, Nick Eason, Chris Rumph, and John Scott all watching him work out.

There’s really not a lot I can say – he is a 4-star who plays at one of the best programs in Georgia and has offers from everybody that matters and some that don’t. He has all the tools and was easy to spot because he was dressed in all orange for the workout.

And he has a Clemson connection – his cousin is former Clemson standout and current Atlanta Falcon Grady Jarrett.

He was a freshman All-American after working in the rotation for Buford, which went 11-1 in Georgia’s highest classification in 2022. He also participated in the FBU Freshman All-American Game where he was named Defensive MVP and a top performer by 247Sports after scoring a defensive touchdown.

It feels like I’ve spent more time watching the offensive linemen in this camp than I have in the past. There is a reason for that – new offensive line coach Matt Luke has drawn in some top talent and this morning was no exception.

But first, my under the radar guy. Graham Houston is a 2026 prospect out of Buford, and he’s the teammate of current commit Brayden Jacobs. He doesn’t show as having any stars on 247, which is a shame. He stands 6-5, 305, and looks like he’s strong as an ox. He puts in the work, and has offers from Florida St., Missouri, Oregon, and Pitt, so somebody else sees what I see.

Of course, Luke has already dispensed 10 offers for this cycle – Chancellor Barclay, Zyon Guiles, Ekene Ogboko, Maxwell Riley, Leo Delaney, Tyler Merrill, Darius Gray, Carter Scruggs, Grant Wise, and Desmond Green.

Delaney was there this morning and it’s to see why he has an offer. He’s out of Charlotte (NC) Providence Day School and has offers from Alabama, Clemson, Tennessee, and Oregon, among others.

Another big-time prospect was on hand in 2026 tackle Bryce Gilmore of Prosper (TX). He was on campus Saturday with his parents, and his dad is Bryan Gilmore, who was a wide receiver who worked his way from Midwestern State (in Wichita Falls, TX) to an eight-year career in the NFL from 2000-07 after going undrafted.

Gilmore has the length and frame to be an elite tackle at this level, and he’s a two-sport guy who once loved basketball but now also throws the shot in track and field. He has offers from Nebraska, Oklahoma St., Ole Miss, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah, and a bevy of others. Now I have to wonder if offer No. 11 will be handed out to Gilmore.

He is camping at Georgia on June 11, and Pitt on June 16 for a camp and visit, and Ohio State June 17, and Michigan June 19 and Kansas State on June 26.

Finally, before I head over to Doug Kingsmore, I spoke with a coach who always brings in a bunch of players from Virginia. They live in the area around Blacksburg, but he said his players simply can’t wait to get to Clemson each year because of how much they enjoy the camp. He said it’s the best camp out there, and it’s not even close.

“I hope everyone realizes what you have here,” he said. “I am not a Clemson fan, but I am in a way. What you have is special, and the culture from the top down is amazing. There is nowhere else like it.”

He then showed me his phone, where he’s been taking notes from Swinney’s speeches all week. He said, “I feel like I’ve been to four or five good church services and heard some sermons.”