Clemson tight end Jake Briningstool, offensive lineman Marcus Tate and running back Phil Mafah are not from South Carolina, but each of them found a home in Tiger Town and wanted to play for Dabo Swinney’s program.
During the latest episode of Clemson Football’s official podcast, 2 Right Turns, Briningstool, Tate and Mafah reflected on their decisions to pick Clemson and what made it the right place for them, when they had plenty of other college options around the country to choose from as heavily recruited prospects.
Here’s what Briningstool (senior from Brentwood, Tenn.), Tate (senior from Sunrise, Fla.) and Mafah (senior from Loganville, Ga.) had to say about committing to Clemson during the recruiting process:
Briningstool: “I would say just as a recruit, being highly recruited, having a lot of opportunities to go play places, I think the thing that made Clemson right for me was just I felt valued here, I felt wanted, I felt like my skillset played a good piece into what they were trying to do with the offense. And then I also just think the coaching staff and the culture that Coach Swinney has created here also played a big factor. I mean, I went on a bunch of visits, went to a lot of different gamedays, a lot of different environments, but nothing compares to what it’s like in Death Valley, especially at that 2019 Texas A&M game. That was a crazy experience, crazy game, really fun.
“But I think what sets Clemson apart is just the off-the-field stuff. I think the way they made my family feel every time they came, knowing their names, calling weekly to check in on them, checking on me, and then another thing would just be being the only tight end that they offered within my class. I think that stood out to me a lot among everything else, just showing that they wanted me, valued me, and kind of just really made me feel like this is where I was supposed to go. So, I’ve had a lot of good times here, a couple low times too. But I think everything’s worked out for the good and I think the best is still yet to come.”
Tate: “My decision to come to Clemson really just came from I was just looking for a family culture place because that’s what I’m big on back home, and I just wanted that feeling, and when I came to Clemson, I felt it right away. Everybody in the building was just very welcoming to me. It seemed personal, it didn’t seem fake, so I really respected that.
“When my family came here, they had nothing but good things to say about Clemson, and I could see it in their eyes, like they really felt at home at this place, as well as I. And like Jake said, if you were at that Texas A&M 2019 game, you just got the feeling like this was the place to be. And I remember I’m on the hill and they go down the hill once the cannon goes off, and I’m just like, ‘Yo, I gotta get here ASAP.’ So, that’s when I pretty much made my decision to come here.”
Mafah: “That (having his seventh-grade coach, and former Grayson High School coach Mickey Conn at Clemson) definitely played part of a role, but also what I felt and experienced as I came here. Like you said, you had a couple guys from my high school come here like Chase Brice, Nick Schuessler. Obviously that connection with Coach Conn made me really pay attention to Clemson. I didn’t really know much as a younger guy. My family wasn’t from here. I was kind of just navigating through it, all this happening.
“But one thing I did know is when I visited Clemson, it felt like home. It’s only two hours up the road, so I felt like it was a great distance away. I love the people here. Coach Swinney and his faith drew me here also, as well as P.A.W. Journey I’d say. Just the opportunity to become a man while you’re here at Clemson, and not just a football player, just really attracted me and my parents, and it just made the decision really easy. As soon as I got the offer, I really wanted to commit, and that’s just what I did.”
Mafah was a unanimous top-300 player nationally and ESPN300 member who was listed as a four-star prospect by all services, while Tate was also rated as a four-star by all services and was ranked as a consensus top-220 national prospect. Briningstool was likewise a unanimous four-star prospect from all the major recruiting services and was a unanimous top-100 national player.
You can check out more from the following segment of the latest 2 Right Turns episode below:
A limited number of signed footballs from Clemson’s 2022 class are still available. Get yours while supplies last! Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!
