'22 Defensive End Target Samuel Okunlola: 'Everybody knows about Clemson as far as football'
Brent Venables has the reputation of running one of the more aggressive defensive schemes in all of college football.
It's a style of defense that has led to a multitude of success for the program and attracts many of the most talented high school players across the nation.
One of those players is class of 2022 defensive end Samuel Okunlola. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound prospect from Thayer Academy in Brockton Massachusetts officially picked up an offer from the Tigers earlier this week.
It's an offer that Okunlola says he was excited to get, even if it's a campus he isn't quite as familiar with, being from so far away.
"It was exciting, very exciting," Okunlola told AllClemson.com. "I know a little bit (about Clemson). Everybody knows about Clemson as far as football. I went on a (virtual) tour so they got to show me some of that... like the rock."
The fact that there has been an NCAA-mandated dead period in place for almost an entire calendar year has made the recruiting process more difficult for Okunlola. The potential 2022 SI All-American candidate said that doesn't mean it hasn't kept him busy, and when he's not tied up with his recruitment, he's trying to hone his skills on the field.
"Definitely making it a little bit harder, can't go on any visits," Okunlola said. "Don't get to see like, how the school is in person. I mean, hopefully, it ends. I just try to stay focused far as my game goes and improvement, but I mean it's always going, it never stops."
There are reports that the dead period will be lifted after it expires at the end of May and Okunlola is hopeful that once it ends he can get to Clemson for a visit.
"I definitely look forward to taking a visit," Okunlola said. "So yeah, I'm not sure which schools I'll visit exactly, but yeah, definitely do look forward to going."
The rising high school senior, and one of the top players in Massachusetts, says at this point in his recruitment that he has no favorites and he is hoping that any future visits he might take will help him trim his choices down.
"I haven't cut down my list really," Okunlola said. "Hopefully I do get to go on some visits. Maybe after that, but I mean it's kind of day-to-day due to the COVID, but hopefully, I get to go on some visits, like as I cut down my list, and I'll go from there."
Okunlola said that he hears from Clemson quite often and is working on building a bond with several of the coaches on the defensive side of the ball. They tell him they love what he brings to the table as a pass rusher.
"Coach Venables, Coach Ski (Lemanski Hall), Coach (Todd) Bates, those three talk to me a lot, and Coach (Mike) Reed," Okunlola said. " (They like) my ability to get to the quarterback, I'm very good at pass rushing. I got speed that can get you off the edge. I play with a lot of intensity, and I'm a hard worker."
Many young players today like to mold their style of play on the field to some of their favorite players in the NFL. However, that isn't Okunlola. Instead of modeling his game after one specific player, he tries to take different things from a number of different players and incorporate them into his game.
"Like me personally, I take everybody and like I put it into one," Okunlola said. "I take pieces of everybody's game and I try to like put it to myself. Like Carlos Dunlap. He has great footwork, he got long arms like me. Von Miller, Chandler Jones, Khalil Mack... Yeah, I just try to take pieces of everybody's game and like try to make the best player, to be the best player I can be all around."
When it comes to making a decision, Okunlola is in no rush. He knows there's still a long way to go with his recruitment and there is a dead period still in place.
"I don't really have a date," Okunlola said. "Because like I could tell you the dates, then they could change. I don't really know what to expect over the next couple of months. When it comes time to make a decision, I'll make a decision."