Reader to visit Clemson on January 20th, will make decision on signing day

Reader will also take a visit to UNC on January 27th

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sun Jan 08 19:35:42 GMT-04:00 2012

D.J. Reader D.J. Reader
Offensive Line
6-4, 330
Greensboro, NC
View Full Profile says he still wants to wait until National Signing Day to make his final college choice, but he believes a couple of visits later this month will get him a little closer to making the right choice.

The 6-3, 330-pounder out of Greensboro’s Grimsley High School is considering Clemson, Maryland and North Carolina and while Clemson appeared to be the leader at one point, he said the three are all even in his mind.

“There still aren’t any favorites,” Reader told TigerNet Sunday evening. “They are all still kind of bunched in there together. I am still going to wait to make my decision.”

Reader is rated as a 3-star defensive tackle prospect by ESPN, and is rated as the 54th-best prospect at his position nationally.

He said he will visit Clemson on January 20th.

“I have talked to Coach [Dan] Brooks this week, and we talked about the visit,” Reader said. “I have not talked to Coach [Robbie] Caldwell yet, but I am sure I will talk to him next week sometime. When I take my visit to Clemson, I really want to spend time with the coaches and with the players. They are the biggest thing I am looking at because I will have to spend so much time with them.”

Reader developed a strong relationship with former North Carolina line coach Sam Pittman and if Pittman wasn’t retained by new head coach Larry Fedora that the Heels would be off his list. That has since changed.

“I am going to take a visit to UNC on the 27th,” he said. “I don’t have a relationship with them [the new staff] like I did with coach Pittman, but I am trying to see what develops between now and the 27th.”

He said he watched Clemson’s Orange Bowl loss to West Virginia, and that loss doesn’t affect his decision negatively. In fact, he says the loss shows that he might be able contribute quickly if he chooses the Tigers.

“That [loss] doesn’t matter to me as far as making a decision,” he said. “West Virginia just had a great game, and any team would have had trouble with them on that night. It just shows me that they need some help on the defensive line. It was great to make it to the Orange Bowl – not too many teams cay say they’ve made it that far. West Virginia just had a great game.”