Top Alabama safety recaps Clemson visit, meeting with Swinney

Nelson poses for a photo at Clemson last weekend.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon Jan 31 14:18:14 GMT-04:00 2022

One of the top safeties in the 2023 recruiting cycle found out last weekend that Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is extremely approachable.

Four-star safety DaKaari Nelson (6-3, 190) of Selma (AL) visited Clemson for the Tigers’ Elite Junior Day last weekend and walked away with an offer and a new appreciation for Swinney.

What was the highlight?

“Definitely meeting Coach Swinney and seeing how sociable he was,” Nelson told TigerNet. “With him being so well-known and kind of famous, I was expecting him to be put up somewhere. But he was out socializing everywhere. We got to go to his house, and I didn't know he could shoot. Him and Coach (Mickey) Conn and Coach (Brandon) Streeter, they all have shots.”

Safeties coach Mickey Conn extended the offer.

“It was me and Coach Conn and my family. I was the only safety they brought on campus,” Nelson said. “So we were going through film and he was telling me how he would use me in a defense. There was one play. he said, 'You would be right here and we could see you making that play, so that is why we are offering you.'"

Nelson currently boasts 14 offers, including Auburn, Michigan, Miss. St., Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, among others. But the Clemson offer is special.

“It means a lot to me, especially with the winning seasons they have had recently,” Nelson said. “For me to be a top guy for them means a lot to me. It (the offer) means a lot to me. All high school athletes dream of making it to the next level and for them to be successful at putting guys in my position in the league, it does mean a lot to me.”

Nelson said he won’t travel while the NCAA recruiting calendar turns to the dead period, but he will get back out on the road in the spring and Clemson will be one of his destination spots.

“I don't have any plans for right now, but eventually, I do plan on getting back out and going to see more schools and spring practices and things like that,” he said. “Clemson is high on my offer list because of the way they treated me and my family when we were there and because of the way they were engaged with me before the offer.”