5-star DE Korey Foreman sets record straight on Clemson commitment

Foreman is one of the top players in the 2021 class.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Apr 19, 2020, 6:39 PM

Five-star defensive end Korey Foreman knows that every little thing he says and does is watched, and he would be the first to tell you that it’s not always easy being one of the top players in the country. That’s why he wants to set the record straight regarding his commitment to Clemson.

Foreman is a 6-5, 275-pounder out of Corona (CA) Centennial that is considered by many to be the top player in the country for the 2021 recruiting cycle. Foreman committed to Clemson in January while on a visit during elite Junior Day, choosing to shut down his recruitment after just his second visit to campus.

Foreman tweeted out this on Saturday: “everybody want to become a 5 star .. until you become one .. then you gotta be the heartbreak kid when it’s all said and done .”

That led to speculation that Foreman is wavering in his commitment to Clemson, and he told TigerNet Sunday that the only issue he has with Clemson or the coaches comes down to official visits.

“I feel like I’ve earned them,” Foreman said.

High school seniors are allowed to take five official visits, and recruits can use an official visit to a single school only once. What makes a visit official? Any visit to a college campus in which any part is financed by the school is considered an official visit.

However, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has a policy in place in which he doesn’t want Tiger commits to take official visits to other schools. However, Swinney has said his policy is more about roster management than limiting a player’s choices.

“In my opinion, in today's recruiting it would be impossible to manage a roster if you allowed all of your committed guys to go take all of these visits because they're not committed,” Swinney said. “They're just trying to reserve a spot and then go on all of these trips and then they decide what they want to do later. They might stay with you and they might not, and then it's too late in January to recruit people. It's really difficult. It's managing your roster, but the biggest issue is when we recruit we have a number. If we're going to take one player at this particular position and then we get a commitment, well guess what, we can't recruit anybody else because if you're going out and recruiting other people you don't have a scholarship for them so they're not listening to you. You have to call people and tell them good luck.”

Back in 2015, 5-star linebacker Shaq Smith de-committed from Clemson so he could take visits, but announced he would attend Clemson at an all-star game in January and wound up enrolling a few days later.

Foreman said he has spoken with the Clemson coaching staff about the policy.

“I’ve talked to the coaches and they have explained how they feel about it,” Foreman said. “They let me know what would happen if I did take a visit. There are some things I need to think about, but that isn’t my main focus. My main focus is the first game of my senior season.”

If Foreman does decide to take visits, Clemson would, of course, be on the list.

“They would still be recruiting me, so yes I would want to go there,” Foreman said. He then told the reasons why he committed in the first place.

“The relationships I have with the coaches there,” Foreman said. “Everything is real there, and I knew when I got there that it was a great place. I loved talking to the coaches and they have a record of putting guys in the league. So I have some things to think about, but really, my focus is on my high school season.”

everybody want to become a 5 star .. until you become one .. then you gotta be the heartbreak kid when it’s all said and done .. ???????
— Korey Foreman (@koreyforeman54) April 19, 2020