Clemson signee analysis: OL Watson Young

Watson Young joins a long line of Clemson Tigers in his family.

by TigerNet Staff - Wed Dec 20 07:56:02 GMT-04:00 2023

Watson Young - Offensive Line
TigerNet: (3.37)

Height: 6-3 Weight: 280 Hometown: Central, SC (D W Daniel HS) Class: 2024

ESPN:

#55 OL, #13 SC

24/7:

#157 IOL, #27 SC

Clemson picked up a late flip from a legacy lineman.

More on Daniel (SC) offensive lineman Watson Young…

Signee analysis: Watson Young - 3-star OL - Clemson, S.C.

Committed since: 12/4/23.

Listed size: 6-3 280.

Mid-year enrollee

Notable: Young is following in the footsteps of his dad, former All-American and current senior associate athletic director, Kyle Young (more info on his family history at Clemson below). Watson was also a Mr. Football finalist on the state champion Daniel Lions. He flipped from a commitment to Appalachian State in December and held 18 offers total, including in-state schools Furman, Coastal Carolina, Charleston Southern and The Citadel, as well as Appalachian State, James Madison, Liberty and Navy, among others.

Quotable: “Someone who's going to go out there and come for everything, try to take as much as I can, take advantage of every day possible, every opportunity I get,” - Young on what he brings to Clemson.

Clemson bio

In High School: One of five finalists for Mr. Football in South Carolina in 2023 … helped Daniel to a 51-1 record in his four years as the Lions’ starting left tackle … helped Daniel to three state titles in four years and four straight Region 1-AAA championships … SCFCA All-State honoree in 2022 and 2023 … named to the South Carolina Shrine Bowl team in 2023 … named Region 1-AAA Lineman of the Year … earned 2022 Palmetto Combine Upper State Best Junior Offensive Lineman and collected Palmetto Combine Series West Top Offensive Lineman honors for 2023 … named MVP of the 2023 Under Armour/ESPN Camp … 2023 District Strength Champion among heavyweights … All-Atlantic Region selection by PrepStar, which ranked Watson as 15th-best player in South Carolina … listed as ESPN’s 13th-best prospect in South Carolina … ranked No. 24 in South Carolina by 247Sports … played for Jeff Fruster at Daniel … was also a three-year letterman in baseball at Daniel.

Personal: Slated to become the first fourth-generation Clemson football player on record … son of former Clemson All-American and three-time Academic All-American Kyle Young … Kyle played for the Tigers from 1998-2001 and was also a two-time All-American on the field as Clemson’s starting center across the 1999-2001 seasons … Kyle, who is in the Clemson Hall of Fame and currently works as a Senior Associate Athletic Director for Clemson Athletics, was the center for legendary Clemson quarterback Woodrow Dantzler … Watson’s uncle, Will Young, was an offensive lineman at Clemson from 1992-95 and was an All-ACC selection in 1995 … his great grandfather, Ed McLendon, lettered in 1939 and played the first bowl team in Clemson history that earned a 6-3 win in the 1940 Cotton Bowl … his grandfather, Ben Watson, was a linebacker at Clemson from 1968-70 … born Sept. 21, 2005 … committed to Clemson Dec. 3, 2023 … expected to enroll at Clemson in January 2024.

Agile. Mobile. Hostile.

That's @WatsonYoung5 🐅 pic.twitter.com/wVH8hPeHYt
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) December 20, 2023

Doesn’t get much more Clemson than this!

Fourth-generation Tiger @WatsonYoung5 just held his signing ceremony at Mac’s Drive In — the same place his Clemson Hall of Famer dad Kyle Young signed his NLI more than 25 years ago. pic.twitter.com/i3o0SIGgDb
— Marc Whiteman (@MarcWYFFNews4) December 20, 2023