On the heels of his trips to Florida State and Alabama, four-star defensive end Xavier Kelly was in Clemson on Sunday afternoon.
\nTheClemsonInsider spoke with the 2016 prospect from Wichita-East a few hours after the visit concluded.
\n\u201cThat was a great visit,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cI got a chance to meet a lot of the coaching staff and the strength and conditioning coach. We saw all the facilities and toured the campus. It was a good visit.\u201d
\nClemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables serves as the Tigers\u2019 primary recruiter.
\n\u201cMainly, the message they had was to prepare for life after football,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cFootball, you can\u2019t play football forever, so they want to get you prepared for life after football. It\u2019s not just about football at Clemson. It\u2019s about family and being together and getting your degree.\u201d
\nKelly went to Florida State on Saturday and visited Alabama on Thursday.
\nLater this summer, he\u2019ll head to Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Baylor, TCU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
\n\u201cActually, by the end of the summer, I\u2019m going to have a top five or a top eight schools,\u201d he said. \u201cHopefully, I\u2019ll make my final decision on January 9 at the Army All-American Game.
\n\u201cBut I\u2019ll know what school I\u2019ll commit to before that, but I\u2019m not going to make it public.\u201d
\nClemson has a \u201cgreat\u201d chance to make the cut at the end of the summer.
\n\u201cThey\u2019re different and I liked what I saw there. I think they\u2019ll have a good chance,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cThey develop a lot of defensive players. They have a great coaching staff. I feel comfortable around the coaches and they have a a great environment. They have a good chance.\u201d
\nAccording to 247, Kelly is the top overall prospect in Kansas for the class of 2016. He\u2019s also ranked as the No. 6 weak-side defensive end in the country.<\/p>\n