Five-star quarterback recruit ‘still open’ to Clemson after Tigers’ coaching change

One of Garrett Riley’s first moves as Clemson offensive coordinator was to start building a relationship with five-star 2024 quarterback recruit Jadyn Davis.

Mission accomplished.

In an interview published Monday, Davis told 247Sports’ Don Callahan that Clemson is “still a full go” after the Tigers fired offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter after one season and replaced him with Riley on Jan. 13.

Davis said he briefly met Riley when the former TCU offensive coordinator stopped by Charlotte’s Providence Day School last Wednesday to visit with Davis’ coaches and watch Davis throw during his first week on the job. They later spoke on the phone.

“I’m still open to the Tigers,” Davis told 247Sports. “I’ve been going to Clemson camps since the fifth grade. Coach Riley said I probably know Clemson more than he does.”

Davis ranks as the No. 3 quarterback and No. 19 overall recruit in the Class of 2024, according to the 247Sports composite, which factors in multiple websites’ rankings. He’d previously cited his relationship with Streeter as one of the reasons he was still considering Clemson, which is battling with Michigan and others to land Davis.

Clemson is also pursuing four-star 2024 Little Rock Christian Academy (Ark.) quarterback Walker White, who has a preexisting relationship with Riley since TCU offered him last June.

By the time Clemson coaches return to Upstate South Carolina to settle in for Saturday’s Elite Junior Day event, they’ll have made two trips apiece to Davis’ high school and White’s high school during the NCAA’s January recruiting contact period.

Riley visited both schools last week and returned to Little Rock Christian Academy on Monday with head coach Dabo Swinney, according to TigerIllustrated. Swinney’s also expected to visit Providence Day School later this week, per 247Sports.

White, the No. 13 quarterback and No. 143 overall recruit in the Class of 2024, will be on campus for Clemson’s junior day event this weekend. Davis’ plans are TBD.

The main hurdle for Clemson — or any other school recruiting Davis, for that matter — is the presence of Michigan. Five 247Sports analysts, including two at the national level, have logged Crystal Ball predictions for Davis to ultimately choose the Wolverines.

Michigan, which has won back-to-back Big Ten Championships and appeared in back-to-back College Football Playoffs under coach Jim Harbaugh, remains a top contender for Davis despite firing co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss last week.

Weiss, a key player in Davis’ Michigan recruitment, was fired Jan. 20. He’d previously been placed on leave amid a university police investigation into “a report of computer access crimes” at the school’s football facility, according to ESPN.

Jadyn Davis’ recruiting timeline

As detailed by Callahan, Clemson and Michigan aren’t the only schools pushing for Davis amid prominent changes on the offensive side of the ball.

Longtime UNC offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Phil Longo, who’s known Davis for years, left to take the same position at Wisconsin under former Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell. The Tar Heels replaced Longo with former UCF offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey.

2022 CFP qualifier Ohio State is also actively recruiting Davis again after five-star quarterback and No. 1 overall 2024 recruit Dylan Raiola decommitted from the Buckeyes last month.

Davis, in his 247Sports interview, chalked up that turbulence to college football being a “constant whirlwind.” Outside of Michigan, Clemson, UNC and Ohio State, other prominent schools staying in touch include Florida State, Penn State and Tennessee.

“I still have a good bit of time left,” Davis said. “I want to get it done way before the season starts. Hopefully, one day I wake up and decide what school I want to go to. I’m not rushing into any decision. I’m just weighing out the options from here.”