Top 2024 tight end says Clemson's family atmosphere has Tigers in final three |
One of Clemson’s top 2024 tight end targets has made his decision, and he will announce that decision in just eight short days.
Four-star Illinois prospect Christian Bentancur announced a top three Monday of Oregon, Clemson and Ohio State and set a commitment date for Jan. 13 at his school. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound prospect visited all three of his finalists this season. The trips came on Sept. 3 (Ohio State), Nov. 12 (Clemson) and Nov. 19 (Oregon). Despite living northwest of the city of Chicago, Bentancur said distance doesn’t matter – it’s all about feeling like he’s at home. “How far it is, it really doesn't affect where I'm going. I just want a place where it's just gonna be a nice like family relationship and trust between both me and the coaches and a good developmental program,” Bentancur told TigerNet. “It really doesn't matter where it is around the country, but yeah Clemson, they made the top three list because they're really family oriented. They show a lot of love and they're obviously a great team with two great tight ends right now, and it's definitely fun to watch their offense play with their tight ends.” Bentancur camped with Clemson over the summer where he received an offer from the Tigers. He followed that up with an early November trip to Clemson to see the Tigers take on Louisville. What were the visits like? “It was just like all the love they showed,” he said. “It really showed they're interested and it wasn't just like another offer that went out, because they really take their offer seriously. In Clemson, football is one of the only shows in town. There’s a lot of diehard fans out there that are ready to cheer them on all the tie. It’s awesome. And the game obviously was really great. They went out there and clinched the ACC (Atlantic) Championship against Louisville, so that was great.” As a junior for Marian Central Catholic (Woodstock, Illinois), Bentancur racked up 54 receptions for 1,058 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns. His sophomore season might have been even more impressive, as he caught 53 passes for 1,165 yards with 16 receiving touchdowns. Bentancur is considered the 102nd-best prospect and the fourth-ranked tight end in the 2024 cycle per 247Sports’ composite rankings. He has been developing a relationship with Clemson tight ends coach Kyle Richardson. “We we we talk all the time and it's great,” Bentancur said. “We have great conversations not just about football but also about life.” What has kept the Buckeyes in the mix? “Obviously they're always competing for College Football Playoffs and championships and all that,” Bentancur said. “And they were actually one of the first schools that started recruiting me. So I've had a long relationship with all of them.” Oregon has also stayed in the mix. “They just have an explosive tight end offense,” Bentancur said. “I think they had the most touchdowns as a tight end group in the entire nation. It was really, really, really fun to see all their tight ends and how they used them, implemented the tight end as almost another wide receiver.” Bentancur said he already knows his school of choice and the coaches have been notified. Death Valley this weekend!! @ClemsonFB pic.twitter.com/76m9Mfqo58
Upgrade Your Account
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now
