4-Star DL Vic Burley knew it was Clemson a year ago

Warner Robins (Ga.) defensive lineman Vic Burley could basically name his school. Over three dozen schools have offered the No. 51 prospect in the On3 Consensus, a list of schools remained in contention, but all have been chasing one for the past year.

On June 1, 2021, Clemson offered Burley. The 6-foot-5, 292-pound four-star was on the Florida campus when he received the news. A few days later, he was on the Clemson campus and he has been thinking Tigers ever since.

“Since that first visit, I was comparing every school I visited to Clemson,” Burley told On3. “It has been going on for a long time. On the first visit there, I felt at home, I loved the culture, and it just really fit me.

“I put it off for a long time, but after taking my official visit to Michigan State, I knew it was time. I told myself, there was no reason to wait any longer. I really knew it was Clemson a year ago.”

A couple of days after returning home from East Lansing, Burley gave Clemson the news. He called defensive line coach Nick Eason. The coaches were together, so Eason put Burley on speaker phone.

“When coach Eason answered, I came out and said, I found my home, it is Clemson, South Carolina. He was like – say it again.

“So he put me on speaker phone, I said the same thing, and everyone raised up in the meeting room and was screaming. All the coaches were cheering, excited, and I heard all the happiness from the coaches.

“After that, I got on the phone with coach Swinney and he was very happy. We Facetimed, I saw how excited he was, and it was great. I felt happy to get it over with.”

It is different for Burley at Clemson

Burley chose Clemson over Georgia in the end. Tennessee was not far behind the Bulldogs and Michigan State was in the top four.

The new commit has visited Clemson four times total and the same feeling he had the first time has stayed with him.

“I saw what the people at Clemson believe in early and that has stayed with me,” Burley said. “The coaches – from the top with coach Swinney – create that culture. It is different.

“What the coaches believe in, what the coaches base their program on, and the morals they carry themselves with. It is all about family.

“Me and my family fell in love with the Clemson culture early and it has never gone away. I would be on visits to other schools thinking about Clemson. They have always been that school for me.”

Burley said Georgia gave Clemson some competition, but he had held off as long as he could. He gave the coaches the news last week and he has been much more relaxed since.

“I was getting tired of the recruiting process. I knew where I wanted to go for a while, so when I did it, there was a weight lifted off my shoulders.

“It was great to get all the offers and to take the visits, but it was stressful. To be honest, though, the decision was easier than I expected it to be. I knew where I was supposed to be.”

Now, Burley will go into his senior year aiming for his third state title. He is committed, he is locked in on Clemson, and he is excited about who he gets to play for on the next level.

“I feel Clemson is a lot like me. It is family with them. The people at Clemson only focus on Clemson. They do not talk other schools down, they do not worry about other schools, they only focus on them.

“It is a big family at Clemson. I love who they are and what they are about.”