Young Carolinas QB Mason Holtzclaw says Garrett Riley loves the way he plays

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Relationships were made stronger on Saturday.

That’s exactly what happened to a rising quarterback in the 2027 class.

Mason Holtzclaw of Arden (NC) Christ School is no stranger to the campus grounds at Clemson.

The sophomore took another trip to Death Valley to witness Clemson’s sixth straight win in the 2024 season.

It has been his third time in the Upstate, dating back to a trip to Dabo Swinney’s high school camp, as well as a trip to the home opener against App State.

Holtzclaw may be a sophomore, but his interest from many programs has already started to take center stage.

Currently, the Arden quarterback has offers from Florida State, North Carolina, South Carolina, and several other programs.

Clemson isn’t one to extend an offer so early into the recruiting process, typically being one of the last schools to throw its hat into the ring.

Holtzclaw understands this, but it hasn’t stopped a continued positive relationship between himself and the program. Once again, the young quarterback had a chance to sit down with Garrett Riley, and discuss his recent play, something Riley is very high on.

“Every visit I've been on, we have great conversations when we're sitting down, and he comes down and eats with us,” Holtzclaw told TigerNet. “He's just telling me he loves the way I play. He thinks I can fit well in their offense. He thinks I can do good. That's the way I can be able to move the ball down the field and make plays with my legs when that's needed. One thing that he's really high on me about is my accuracy. That's what he tells me. He said that's something that he just really likes about me. He said I'm much more advanced than some of the people he sees. So that means a lot to hear that from him.”

Holtzclaw has been to Clemson several times this year, but his visit to the Virginia game marked a special occasion.

With C.J. Spiller’s induction to the ring of honor, several prospects got to see one of the best players in college football receive a high honor and then watch him coach on that same field, where he made so many lasting memories.

To the Christ School product, it was another sign of how well the Clemson program is run.

“When I first heard about it, I knew it was something special,” Holtzclaw said. “I know that Dabo has something going on great there. He leads the players. You don't see him using a lot of kids leaving Clemson. A lot of them don't transfer out. They stay at Clemson. They trust the process. And that's because Dabo has great coaches who know what they're doing, who care for the game, and who really care for the kids. CJ Spiller is one of the coaches who cares for the game, really cares for the kids, and is somebody that you just want to be around. So that's just great to see him get that achievement.”

For the growing signal caller, an offer from Clemson would mark a special achievement of his own. He feels like his relationship with the program continues to grow, and he believes an offer could come very soon.

Despite growing up as a South Carolina fan, he’d likely be just fine with receiving an offer of orange and purple in the mail.

“It would mean a lot for sure,” Holtzclaw said. “I mean, we're not too far away from Clemson. I've grown up watching Clemson a lot. I was a South Carolina fan when I was a little kid, so I've always kept up with Clemson pretty much my whole life. Growing up as a South Carolina fan, I didn't really like them, but now that's completely changed. So it would really mean a lot to me.”

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