Clemson lands third football commitment

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri Apr 01 17:45:27 GMT-04:00 2011

CLEMSON – Germone Hopper Germone Hopper

2012 Athlete

6-0,

Charlotte, NC

View Full Profile arrived on the Clemson campus Friday morning, and he says he had no idea at the time just how much his life was going to change.

The 6-foot, 170 pound wide athlete out of Charlotte’s Berry Academy walked on the campus for a visit on Friday, and it wasn’t long before he knew that Clemson was the place for him to continue his education and football career.

Hopper became the third commitment of the Tigers 2012 recruiting class when he committed to wide receivers coach Jeff Scott, giving Clemson one of the top 10 players in the state of North Carolina for 2012.

“To be honest, I didn’t come here to commit,” he told TigerNet. “It kind of caught me off guard. But when I got here, I knew this was the place I want to be. This is a great place I feel like. I just came out here, and got a good feeling about it and decided to do it today. Mom is with me on this choice.”

Hopper chose Clemson over offers from Auburn, East Carolina, Kentucky, Louisville, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Virginia and Vanderbilt.

As a junior, he rushed for 1,559 yards and 18 touchdowns to go along with 32 catches for 540 yards and six touchdowns. He also returned a punt for a touchdown. As a result, new offensive coordinator Chad Morris told Hopper he envisions him playing in the “2” position in the offense, a position that is a hybrid between slot receiver and running back.

“He told me I could be like Damaris Johnson at Tulsa last season,” Hopper said. Johnson rushed 55 times for 560 yards and seven touchdowns and caught 57 passes for 874 yards and four touchdowns. “He said I would be just like Damaris. He said I was the perfect guy for that position, and that is how I want to be used. That is why I committed.”

Hopper said he talked to one of his coaches, and then his mother, before making the decision. He told Scott when the two went into Scott’s office, and then head coach Dabo Swinney popped his head in the door.”

“I grew up liking this school, and my mom told she felt the same way and had a good feeling about it,” he said. “I talked to coach Scott first in his office, and then coach Swinney came in and he accepted my commitment. He gave me a strong look in the eye, and he asked me if I was All In. I told him yes.”