Offensive lineman shows he's different by noticing what Clemson has on the walls

Jaylan Beckley was at Clemson's camp last week.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Jun 14 07:00:20 GMT-04:00 2023

It doesn’t take long to figure out that Jaylan Beckley is different from most other high school football recruits his age. He’s a thinking man’s man, the perfect way to be if you’re an offensive lineman.

Beckley (6-5 299) is a 2025 offensive tackle prospect out of Addison (TX) Trinity Christian Academy who camped at Clemson last week. Beckley is one of the nation’s fast risers at the offensive line position – he had one FBS offer before April but can now claim offers from Clemson, Duke, Georgia, Houston, LSU, Memphis, and Miss. St.

Beckley spent time on Clemson’s campus last week.

“The visit was great. Clemson is a beautiful place,” Beckley told TigerNet. “The facilities are top-notch, for sure. I noticed a lot of really intentional wording on the walls. One phrase in particular that I saw more than once was, As a man thinketh so is he."

While other recruits are looking for photo opportunities or wanting to know what a school can send their way, Beckley instead took the time to figure out what that phrase means and why head coach Dabo Swinney would put that on a wall.

“Well, I know the phrase is from scripture. To me, it's just a reminder to focus on seeing myself as God sees me. If I can do that, there should be nothing that I can't accomplish,” Beckley said. “The conversations with the coaches were all really good. Authentic, would be the word I use to describe the staff at Clemson. From Coach Swinney on down, everyone seemed to be very genuine and super down-to-earth. I love that. They remind me a lot of my high school coaching staff! God is first, then family, then football. They definitely made me feel at home and let me know that they want me to be a Tiger.”

It didn’t take the Tigers long to pull the trigger on an offer.

“Coach (Thomas) Austin gave me the offer, and he actually broke the news to me right in front of Coach (Garrett) Riley and my Mom and Uncle,” Beckley said. “It was a really cool moment! It means so much to me to get an offer from Clemson because I know it's not a common thing. It's really an honor to be one of the few guys in the country that they see being a Clemson Tiger! It's a big deal.”

Beckley hopes to make a return trip to Clemson.

“I would really love to return for a game in the fall, and will likely bring more of my family with me,” he said. “My Dad, my little sisters, even my grandparents want to see what Clemson is all about.”

Because he’s a thinking man, Beckley wants to make sure he makes the right decision when it comes to a school choice.

“I'm thinking that I'll narrow down my Top-5 or so sometime this school year,” he said. “I would like to have my decision made by this time, next year. But really, this is something I'll have to pray about and just be careful not to rush through.”

To God be the glory - Clemson University @ClemsonFB offered! #SeekFirst 🟣🟠 Thank you so much @Coach__TA @CoachGRiley @TCAAddisonFB @TCA_Addison @GregJohnston67 @HC_Hayes #RecruitTCA #AllGloryToGod #Clemson #GoTigers #Offer pic.twitter.com/iF6N0Fx2VQ
— Jaylan Beckley (@JaylanBeckley) June 10, 2023