The 2025 season is yet to pull up the curtains. But so what? College football fans are already left on the edge of their seats by the changing courses of the recruiting trail. We have seen some big misses like Georgia losing Jackson Cantwell to Miami. However, the Bulldogs were able to earn back the trust of Jared Curtis, landing a blow to Dan Lanning’s Oregon. Right now, the player who is stirring the pot is none other than 5-star Tyler Atkinson. The Grayson High School product who broke the record for tackles with 197 as a sophomore is drawing the strings. It turns out that the latest intel of the No. 1 prospect is leaning towards Dabo Swinney’s Clemson. 

The Bulldogs have been gunning for the top linebacker in 2026. Atkinson had nearly 50 offers from major Power Five programs. Initially, Atkinson showed an open preference to punch an Athens ticket. On March 10, he tweeted, “I will be AtkkNup tomorrow in Athens!” The meeting was then carried to the dinner table in May. The picture captured the trio posing in front of the Richard L. Tucker Building. While Atkinson posed all smiles in the middle, he was surrounded by Georgia staffers like Glenn Schuman and Travaris Robinson. The other frontrunners in the Atkinson race are Alabama and Ohio State. But as per the latest intel, Swinney and the Tigers are likely to knock it out of the park with Atkinson.

On the June 4th episode of the On3 Recruits podcast, host Josh Newberg had a question for his guest of the evening, Chad Simmons. “Chad, you’ve known Tyler Atkinson and his family for years now. He just took this trip to Clemson. Is Clemson maybe the dark horse in this recruitment?”

Simmons replied, “I don’t want to call them the dark horse that they are a true contender in this race. Look, we know about Tyler and his brand, his name, and the weight that carries the value he has as a recruit in the NIL world. That’s been the biggest question about, you know, can Clemson compete, or will they compete in the NIL world?” In the 2025 season, Swinney’s Clemson holds an adjusted NIL value of $67K. However, programs like Ohio State with an adjusted NIL value of $166K and Georgia with $156K are running after Atkinson. 

Even then, Simmons sounded confident about the Tigers’ luck in landing the hot target. Why so? The analyst clarified, “The top programs that are out there like whether it’s Ohio State, Georgia, Oregon, Auburn, Texas, USC, I mean other schools that are fighting for a guy like Tyler Atkinson. We know NIL will be a factor there and kind of what they do to set him up for success as far as his brand goes. But when it comes to those personal relationships, seeing a fit in that culture, a fit in the defensive scheme, and people that he loves being around, Clemson checks all those boxes. They have to be considered a true contender in this race.” By now, you are aware of how the ‘make them feel good’ factor never goes wrong. 

That’s what Swinney has always prioritized. By now, the Tigers have developed a comfort zone in Atkinson’s heart. He has been visiting since his middle school days. Plus, he will be having his former head coach from Grayson High School, Mickey Conn. He now serves as the co-defensive coordinator at Clemson. Now, what is the player saying about Clemson?

Tyler Atkinson’s Tigertown praise sparks panic in Eugene

With 4-star linebacker Caleb Gordon off the board, the Tigers are shifting all their attention to Atkinson. The No.1 linebacker and No. 9 overall player in the 2026 class sounded all confident. “Clemson was one of my top 10 schools before they even offered me.” During the last weekend (May 31st-June 1), he graced Clemson with his presence and came with a positive review. On June 2, he tweeted, “🔥The Official Visit was OFFICIAL🔥 It was the definition of “feeling like a priority!” #AtkNup 🐅@ClemsonFB @ClemsonTigers @benboulware7 @Coach_TomAllen @CoachEason1 @Mhoward38 @grayson_fb @ChadSimmons_ @Zack_Poff_MP @samspiegs @TomLoy247 @ClemsonUniv @On3Recruits @PeteThamel.”

But this did not stop Dan Lanning from knitting some fresh hopes. Per On3’s Steve Wiltfong, the Ducks are hosting three 2026 five-star prospects for visits this weekend (June 7-8). Already, things are a bit sensitive in Eugene. They have lost the commitment of the edge rusher Richard Wesley, just 17 days after announcing his verbal pledge. While Wesley will be back with a visit, Lanning must already be losing his sleep with the latest Atkinson update.

On June 3, Oregon Updates tweeted, “On top of that, Clemson is the only official visit that Atkinson has on the books right now. He somehow has not scheduled one to Georgia, or to the other schools he is still high on, like Ohio State, Alabama, and Auburn.” As of now, Lanning will only have Clemson as the toughest contender. But even the Ducks’ head coach can’t be underestimated. As the Oregon AD said, “Dan is an outstanding, high-energy football coach who will provide a world-class experience for our football student-athletes.” Will Atkinson face a battle of the mind and heart—or has he quietly chosen his next home turf?