Top linebacker Kamar Archie says weekend Clemson visit made an impression

Trenton, New Jersey linebacker Kamar Archie had a good visit to Clemson recently.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri Mar 15 07:00:02 GMT-04:00 2024

One of the Tigers’ top linebacker targets says last weekend’s visit made an impression.

Kamar Archie (6-1 215) is a 4-star 2025 prospect out of Trenton (NJ) The Hun School, and he is one of the most sought-after linebackers in the country in the 2025 class. With offers from coast to coast, he cut his list to Clemson, South Carolina, Tennessee, Michigan, Rutgers and Oklahoma.

Archie visited Michigan in January, and last weekend, he was at Clemson for a second time. He camped with the Tigers as a freshman, where he worked with then linebackers coach Brent Venables and his assistant Wes Goodwin. Goodwin now runs the defense and coaches the linebackers, and that relationship he started with Archie back then carries on to this day.

“After my camp, he actually was the one that toured me, so we’ve always had a really good connection since my freshman year,” Archie said. “He’s very consistent with me, which is something I really like. He emphasized how important I am to him as a recruit. I’ve had a great relationship with Coach Goodwin since my freshman year, even though he didn’t offer me till my junior year. That’s always been there.”

Archie got a view of Clemson from a camper’s perspective on his first visit. This time, he got the inside look that top recruits get when they visit the Tigers.

“The atmosphere, it’s the place you want to be,” Archie said. “They expect their guys to graduate. They get things done in the classroom and on the field, but they really emphasize getting things done in the classroom. That was a huge thing for me.”

The Saturday visit coincided with a scrimmage-type practice inside Death Valley. Archie was focused on the linebackers' play and how Goodwin coached his guys.

“You can see the way they use Barrett Carter, he’s all over the field. He’s covering slot receivers, tight ends, even got him in the box,” Archie said. “I just love the versatility and the things they can do moving around their linebackers. I loved everything I saw there. Coach Goodwin, he’s very intense and he just loves to coach his guys up. He’s not the yelling type. He’ll get on you, but he’s really there to coach you. That’s one thing I really picked up while I was there.”

The visit put Clemson in a strong spot with Archie at this point of his recruiting.

“Right now I’d say the top two that I’ve visited so far are Clemson and Michigan,” he said. “I haven’t been able to visit other schools in my top six, but those two schools that I visited, I really love those two a lot. Going over there this weekend really put them at a high place in my recruiting.”

Archie has official visits set with Clemson for May 31st and Oklahoma for June 21st. He said he also wants to visit Michigan this spring and might take one to Texas A&M, though he did not include the Aggies in his top six.