Clemson staffers throw shade after top defensive line recruit picks SEC school
Shortly after Perry-Wright committed, some Clemson staffers threw some not-so-subtle shade at his decision — and one comment in particular.
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Perry-Wright, the No. 38 player in the Class of 2026, is the cousin of former Clemson star Grady Jarrett and the nephew of current Tigers defensive end Armon Mason. He's from Buford, Georgia and once called Clemson his 'dream school.'
But after a long and winding recruitment process, Perry-Wright picked Texas A&M instead, announcing for the SEC's Aggies over finalists Clemson, Texas and Miami.
247Sports posted a story at 5:04 p.m. Saturday recapping Perry-Wright's commitment, which included this quote from him on Texas A&M: 'It's kind of D-Line University now.' He later repeated that comment on a 247Sports live stream.
Clemson staffer Da'Quan Bowers saw those comments and quickly took to X (formerly Twitter) to push back against Perry-Wright's assertion that Texas A&M was better than Clemson at producing NFL defensive linemen.
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'Ain't but one DLU! Check the records #ALLIN' Bowers posted at 5:06 p.m. Saturday.
That post from Bowers, a former All-American Clemson defensive end who's in his third season on staff, drew a number of positive reactions from Clemson fans and was also reposted by Tigers defensive coordinator Tom Allen on Saturday.
College coaches, per NCAA rules, aren't allowed to publicly mention recruits by name until they're signed. But social media makes it easy for coaches to toe the line.
Clemson staffers haven't been shy in recent years about making such statements when a recruit goes elsewhere. A number of staffers shared similar sentiments when four-star quarterback Blake Hebert flipped from Clemson to Notre Dame last fall.
Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell with Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Shemar Stewart after her is selected by the Cincinnati Bengals as the number seventeen pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee/Imagn Images
Who is D-line University between Clemson, Texas A&M?
A scroll through recent NFL drafts show Clemson and Texas A&M are pretty close in those metrics. The Tigers under coach Dabo Swinney have had 15 players listed as a DT, DE, DL and/or OLB drafted since 2015, and Texas A&M has had 12.
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Clemson's also had nine defensive lineman selected in the first two rounds of a draft dating back to 2015. But the Aggies had three alone in 2025 — Shemar Stewart, Nic Scourton and Shemar Turner — and all were selected among the draft's top 62 picks.
Adding to Perry-Wright's comment was just how close he seemed to becoming a Tiger. Clemson was viewed as the clubhouse leader for the star defensive lineman at various points in his recruitment, including in final weeks before Texas A&M's push.
Perry-Wright (6-foot-2, 260 pounds) ranks as the No. 3 defensive lineman and No. 38 overall recruit nationally in the 247Sports Composite. He is a five-star in some networks' rankings.
Without Perry-Wright's commitment, Clemson still has the country's No. 9 overall recruiting Class for 2026. The group includes 20 commits and 14 four-stars.
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