Clemson lands commitment from brother of former Tiger, current NFL player

With seven days left until the February signing day, Clemson landed another familiar name on Wednesday night.

Gaither (Florida) linebacker Kobe McCloud verbally committed to the Tigers with an announcement on Twitter. McCloud is the younger brother of Ray-Ray McCloud, who played wide receiver for the Tigers (2015-18) and is currently with the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers.

“God always going to show the way….Watch how he work this one!! IM ALL IN 1000%…. #ALLIN,” Kobe McCloud tweeted.

The Floridian is a 6-foot-1, 208-pound three-star recruit and had offers from Boston College, Arizona, Pitt and Iowa State, among others. He took his official visit to Clemson on Jan. 21 following a senior season at Gaither where he totaled 80 tackles, three quarterback sacks and three interceptions.

“They love how versatile I am,” McCloud said. “They said wherever I fit in the best first year they’ll like me. They know I can cover, and I’ll hit, and match up on tight ends. They like how I can play any of those positions. Sideline to sideline, that’s my strength.”

McCloud is also the second brother of a former player to commit from the Class of 2022. Less than a month after sixth-year safety Nolan Turner just finished his career at Clemson, younger brother and wide receiver Cole Turner announced his commitment to the Tigers.

Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney mentioned picking up a linebacker to complete the recruiting class during the early signing period one month ago and got one with McCloud’s commitment. With four commits ahead of the traditional national signing day, Clemson now has the No. 13 recruiting class in the nation and second-best in the ACC, per 247Sports’ database.

— Phil Kornblut contributed