Talented Florida slot receiver says Clemson is a top school for him

Joseph poses at Clemson in early June.

by Jake Pierce - Recruiting Reporter - Sun Jul 04 08:00:06 GMT-04:00 2021

Clemson’s slot receivers in recent years have featured some of the best route runners and hands in college football, with guys like Hunter Renfrow and Amari Rodgers leaving their mark on the Tigers program. Clemson’s latest offer in the 2023 class brings those same elements to the table, and that extra interest from Clemson solidified the Tigers as a top school for the Florida receiver.

Nathaniel Joseph camped and had an unofficial visit to Clemson on June 11th, and the Tigers extended an offer to the top slot receiver on their board for the ’23 class on June 20th. Joseph has built a strong relationship with Clemson, with wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham and defensive coordinator Brent Venables both recruiting the standout receiver from Miami (FL) Edison. The 5-10, 165-pound target is currently listed as the No. 130 player overall and the No. 17 wide receiver in the 247Sports Composite rankings, with offers from schools such as Clemson, Alabama, Florida State, Notre Dame, and Texas A&M.

Joseph’s trip to Clemson provided him the opportunity to finally see the school and meet the coaches that he already holds in high regards, and also work out for his potential future position coach.

“It was great. I did a workout for Coach Grisham and I learned a lot and performed well,” Joseph told TigerNet. “I had a good day. Coach Grisham told me I’m one of the top slots on his board. I’m blessed to be in this position. On campus, everything is really nice. We got in the night before and got to see the stadium at night and that was really nice. Coach Grisham stayed in my corner the whole time and showed a lot of love. As soon as I got there, Coach Venables showed me off to the whole team and that was big. I always have good talks with Coach Grisham. He talks to me about family. He’s big on that, especially with me being from Miami and living there my whole life. He’s always telling me that he’s big on family and when you get there it doesn’t feel like you ever left home. That’s a big part of it for me.”

Before Clemson started to recruit Joseph, the 4-star receiver was already familiar with the Clemson program from watching Clemson’s Vlog on YouTube. After seeing the campus in person, Joseph said that Clemson is definitely one of his top schools.

“If I had to choose tomorrow, Clemson would be one of the top schools easily,” Joseph said. “I just feel it with Clemson and they are always talking to me. I live in Miami and they don’t even show the love like Clemson shows. And the coaches have been there for a long time. It’s not like coach hopping and having to learn under a whole new coach, and that can be tough on people. It’s not hard to adjust, but it’s better when you have solid coaches. Coach Venables has talked to me about that with guys in the NFL. Coaches can talk about the players from the school in the NFL, but they didn’t get them there. He said he’s got a lot of kids in the NFL and he’s been there, so he can say he’s did it.”

The Clemson offense has done a tremendous job of putting players in positions to be successful, and Joseph feels that he would be a great fit for how Clemson utilizes their slot receivers.

“What I like about Clemson is that they play their shorter guys in the slot. I’m not the biggest or the tallest guy, but I’m fast and I’m quick,” he said. “I feel like they know how to utilize the slot position and you don’t have to be the biggest guy. I really think I could fit there and they would know how to use me. A lot of their slots, like Amari Rodgers, they use those guys and really know how to utilize their game.”

Joseph had the chance to visit multiple schools in June, with stops at Alabama, Florida, Florida State, FAU, UCF, and Clemson along the way. What will Joseph be looking for in each school to determine his best fit?

“Academics are important, so I’m definitely looking for that. And just when I get there to visit, just seeing if anything changes from the phone calls to when you get to meet them in-person,” he said. “You can see if they are genuine and real in-person. Coaches will tell you that you’re the talk of the facility when you’re on the phone, so if they talk about you when you’re not there then it should be amazing in-person. I’m just looking for how they treat me, the facilities, and academics are important to me.”

Joseph named Clemson, Florida State, and Notre Dame as a few of the schools that have stayed in constant contact with him during his recruitment. What makes Joseph a highly-recruited player?

“I’m a game-changer when you put the ball in my hands,” he said. “My speed is crazy. My whole life I played running back, so I have a running back mentality at receiver. Every time I catch the ball, I’m looking to score and run through whoever is in front of me, like a running back mindset. A lot of DBs don’t want to tackle anyway. Off the field, I’m a leader. I talk to my teammates and help them on and off the field, even in the classroom. Because without my teammates, what am I?”