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Observations from Day 1 of Dabo Swinney football camp

Matt Connollyby:Matt Connolly•06/03/21•

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Jaren Kanak, DeMario Tolan
Jaren Kanak (right) put together an all-around performance on Friday night. (Matt Connolly/ClemsonSports.com)

CLEMSON — The practice fields at Clemson were filled with high school football players Wednesday as Dabo Swinney football camp got underway.

There was a morning session and an afternoon session as more than 200 players were on hand.

Several high-profile recruits were at Clemson on Wednesday, including five-star defensive lineman Peter Woods, four-star defensive tackle Hero Kanu, four-star defender Jared Kanak, four-star linebacker DeMario Tolan, four-star cornerback Avieon Terrell and four-star quarterback Dylan Lonergan.

I spent time watching the defensive line during Wednesday’s morning session. You can read a report on Kanu, Woods and defensive tackle Thomas Collins here.

As for the afternoon session, I spent the majority of the time watching the quarterbacks and linebackers.

Lonergan of Snellville, Georgia and fellow class of 2023 quarterback Raheim Jeter of Spartanburg High both participated in drills and threw in front of Dabo Swinney. Jeter in particular was impressive with his accuracy, making strong throws in the pocket and on the run.

The best throw of the day came from Jeter as he rolled to his left and fired a very accurate pass on the run into a net with a small hole.

Neither player currently holds an offer from Clemson.

As for Kanak and Tolan, both players jumped out among the approximately 20 participants going through drills with Tigers defensive coordinator Brent Venables.

Kanak is a high school track star who recently ran the 100 at 10.37. He certainly moved well Wednesday, quickly changing directions and getting from cone to cone as he went through drills.

Tolan also impressed with his speed and athleticism, including making an impressive leaping one-handed grab during a drill.

Both class of 2022 prospects picked up an offer from Clemson on Tuesday, prior to working out for Clemson’s staff on Wednesday. It’s easy to see why.

Camp resumes with morning and afternoon sessions Thursday. There are also morning and afternoon sessions Saturday June 5, Sunday June 6, Thursday June 10 and Friday June 11.