Clemson is an early leader for 2026 LB Duyon Forkpa

Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek linebacker Duyon Forkpa holds offers from 16 schools, including Cincinnati, Clemson, Florida State, Michigan, Mississippi State and Missouri. He is also in contact with multiple programs that have not offered him yet, such as Georgia, Minnesota, Tennessee and UCLA. 

This season, Forkpa has already visited Clemson for two games, as well as Florida State and Georgia. He will also be at Tennessee this weekend for the Vol’s game against Alabama. 

Clemson is making a strong push for the 6-foot-2, 220-pound recruit. 

“They don’t offer players until their junior year, so they’ve been watching me all this time,” Forkpa told On3. “For them to make a decision like that, it’s an actual offer. They’re not pulling it away. They believe in me and what I can do, which means they want to coach me and I like that about them.” 

Forkpa, who was on campus for Clemson’s games against NC State and Stanford, received his offer from the ACC program on an unofficial visit over the summer. The atmosphere around the Tigers has impressed the talented Peach State prospect, who hears from defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Wes Goodwin every week.

“It’s very lively there,” Forkpa said. “When I was in the locker room, the coaches were going over everything and it was lively. The players had energy while they were interacting with each other. I like how coach Dabo Swinney runs things over there.” 

Forkpa’s recruitment is heating up

Other schools are also pursuing Forkpa, as he hears from Florida State co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Randy Shannon weekly, Cincinnati linebackers coach Cortney Braswell twice a week and a coach from West Virginia every two weeks. He plans to be back on the road this fall for Georgia Tech–Miami on Nov. 9, a USC game in November and Florida-Florida State on Nov. 30. 

During these visits, Forkpa plans to keep a close eye on how the coaches and players interact with each other on gameday. The defender plans to release his top eight schools around January and commit in the middle of the summer. 

“I am looking for schools that can develop me as a person and as a player because you’re not always going to have football in your life,” Forkpa said. “That is why I need to go to a school that offers a good education and can set me up for life after football. My goal is to make it to the NFL, but if that doesn’t work out, I need to be able to fall back on something.” 

Forkpa is hoping to land offers from Georgia and Tennessee as his recruitment continues. Getting that recognition from two top SEC schools would be very significant to him. 

“It would raise my confidence because it would show that I’m able to play at that high of a level,” Forkpa said. “I’d be way more confident in my game.”