Dylan Sumner-Gardner

Feb 2, 2013, 9:26 PM

I can respect the way he decommitted and took Dabo's advice in that you have to be a man and honor your word. Honestly it seems like he just wants to check other places out to affirm that Clemson is actually the best fit. Here's the article.

Clemson’s 2013 recruiting class is shaping up to be a pretty good one. Expectations were high -- perhaps higher -- for its 2014 class.

Late Thursday evening, the class suffered a blow, as ESPN Watch List safety Dylan Sumner-Gardner (Mesquite, Texas/West Mesquite) confirmed he decommitted in an effort to re-evaluate his options.

"It was something that's been on my mind for awhile now," Sumner-Gardner said. "I had talked with Coach [Dabo] Swinney and [defensive coordinator] Coach [Brent] Venables not too long ago, and what he told me was about the true meaning of being committed. Me going to see other schools, that's not the true meaning [of being committed].

"So out of respect to Coach Swinney, I decided to decommit. It was something that was hard. There aren't too many coaches like Coach Swinney and the other guys on that campus."

Sumner-Gardner, who committed to Clemson June 14, said he won’t make any decisions until after he takes all of his junior days. He visited Texas A&M last weekend and will visit Baylor on Saturday. Sumner-Gardner also will take in Texas on Feb. 10.

A 6-foot-1, 192-pound safety, Sumner-Gardner has been a fan of Clemson since the days when Brian Dawkins was making an impact there. In fact, he's called Clemson his "dream school," -- even traveling 22 hours one way on a bus to attend a Clemson camp over the summer -- when he was offered.

"It's weird to decommit from your dream school, but at the same time, [Swinney] was right," Sumner-Gardner said. "At some point in time, you have to become a man. And to be a man, you have to [honor] your word."

While he said Clemson is still a favorite of his, it was only right for him to officially give the other schools a chance.

“I won’t announce until after I go to all my junior days,” Sumner-Gardner said. “I want to go [to other schools] just to have fun and get to see what their education’s like, see their schemes and see if I fit in them.”

Sumner-Gardner admitted that he had an outstanding time at Texas A&M. He said College Station, Texas, “felt just like home” and said he didn’t have any negatives about the trip or the program.

flag link

military_tech

thumb_down

thumb_up

Dylan Sumner-Gardner

TigerBoard POTD