Priority OL target makes trip from Pennsylvania to Clemson for visit

Hornibrook hopes to a decision in the near future

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Tue May 08 13:12:46 GMT-04:00 2018

One of Clemson’s priority offensive line targets for the 2019 recruiting cycle made the trip from Pennsylvania to Clemson last week, and offensive line Robbie Caldwell rolled out the red carpet.

Class of 2019 offensive tackle prospect Jake Hornibrook (6-4, 275) of Malvern (PA) Malvern Prep received a Clemson offer two weeks ago, a few days before his teammate, Keith Maguire, made a Friday commitment to the Tigers. The offer came from defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who was in town to see both players.

The offer led to last week’s trip. Hornibrook made the trip with his mother and spent Wednesday evening, all day Thursday and part of Friday on campus.

“It was very impressive and definitely worth the visit. I got to spend lunch with Coach (Dabo) Swinney and he was very impressive,” Hornibrook told TigerNet. “He seems like a great guy and definitely a great guy to play for. I also got to spend the entire day with Coach (Robbie) Caldwell and I was really excited about that. Originally, he was just supposed to be there for half a day but instead he spent the whole day with me. I was really happy about that and it was great to get to know him. It was a really good visit in general.”

He then said Clemson’s family atmosphere is a big draw.

“I would say the people stood out to me. “It seems like a family down there,” Hornibrook said. “It is a well-run system. Coach Caldwell was very welcoming and Coach Swinney was impressive. I also met a couple of players and they seemed really nice. Definitely, the people stood out. The facilities and the campus are also unbelievable.”

Caldwell made sure that Hornibrook had his full attention.

“He is a great guy. I got to sit down and talk football with him,” he said. “I was also able to sit down and watch some of Clemson's film from last year with him. That was great to get those coaching pointers and things like that. The facilities were also great. It was crazy. It got to the point where it was like, what is it that you guys don't have?”

Next up? A return trip with another important family member, followed by a decision.

“I want my dad to come down and see everything,” Hornibrook said. “I would really like for my dad to see it. I want to make a decision sometime in late May or early June. Clemson is definitely one of my top choices. I am very excited about Clemson.”