4-star LB T.J. Dudley opens up about his commitment to Clemson

This was a long journey for T.J. Dudley, the four-star linebacker, known as “Bull”, by many. Like all recruits in the 2022 class, they went through the COVID-19 pandemic, taking over a year away from their time on the road to evaluate schools.

Not long after the NCAA lifted the ban on visits to college campuses, the No. 278 prospect in the On3 Consensus hit the road for his first visit on June 4. That was to Oregon, and within the month, Dudley committed to the Ducks.

All was well with the Pac 12 program in Eugene until the flurry of coaching moves started in early December. On the day Mario Cristobal left Oregon for Miami, Dudley decommitted from the Ducks.

He took his time, communicated with numerous schools, and in the middle of January, decided he wanted to be a Clemson Tiger.

“I knew about three weeks ago that I was going to Clemson,” Dudley told On3. “I called coach Wes Goodwin first to let him know and I think he was shocked. He thought I was just calling to check in and talk, but I was calling to commit.

“About an hour later, I called coach Dabo Swinney. He was finishing up playing basketball and I think I completely caught him off guard. We were on Facetime and he was all smiles when I told him.

“Both coaches were very excited about my decision.”

Clemson checks all the boxes for T.J. Dudley

The official visit Dudley took over the weekend was only his second visit to Clemson. He tripped there his sophomore year before the pandemic and he loved it.

The love never faded.

“Clemson is what I dreamed about as a kid,” Dudley said. “Clemson has always recruited me. Going back to my sophomore year, I started to build a relationship with coach Swinney, coach Goodwin, and coach (Lemanski) Hall.

“They are great people. Other than the coaches there, Clemson offers a great education, the school is about excellence, and I know we will compete for national championships.

“The opportunity for me at Clemson is golden and I am so excited about it.”

T.J. Dudley and Kylon Griffin will stay together at Clemson

Growing up in Montgomery, Dudley and Kylon Griffin competed against each other. In the city league as kids, they went head to head. That continued in middle school.

Then they got together at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory in high school. They are close and they will continue their relationship on the next level.

“It is crazy that were are both going to Clemson,” Dudley said. “We grew up competing so hard against each other. We never got to play together as kids, so to do it in high school, and now in college, it is awesome.

“Kylon and I are great friends, we both work hard, and we are both excited about the opportunity at Clemson.”

The recruiting process has had its share of ups and downs for Dudley, but he has remained positive throughout the journey and loves the outcome.

“There was a lot of stress for me going through the last couple of years, but it is all a blessing. It was all worth it for me.

“I get to go to Clemson, a program with a great leader, a family-like coaching staff, and a place that cares about their players.

“Everything I went through to get here was well worth it. I am so blessed.”