Michael Burns

Greenville

J.C. Chalk was in the third grade when he first met Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney. They were on the farm of legendary coach Gene Stallings for a reunion of the Alabama Crimson Tide's 1992 national championship team.

Explosive athlete 'loves' Clemson

Swinney played wide receiver on that team for Stallings.

And Stallings is Chalk's grandfather.

"I just remember him from then being really funny and just fun to hang out with," Chalk said. "Ever since then he keeps on growing on me. I keep liking him more and more every time I talk with him."

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound tight end from Argyle High School in Texas likes Swinney – and other aspects of Clemson – so much, he's decided to commit to the Tigers, becoming Clemson's first commitment for the 2016 recruiting class.

"Me and my mom and dad were talking with Coach (Chad) Morris and Coach (Danny) Pearman after camp, and we've been praying about it for a while now about where I want to go," Chalk said. "I just felt like I was being pulled there, that that's where I needed to be. You can't find a better coaching staff anywhere else, so why not get it done right now and get everything else settled away and eliminate all the other distractions, just be totally in with Clemson?"

He's cancelled a trip he'd planned to Auburn Thursday.

Arizona State, Colorado State and Duke are also among his scholarship offers, and Texas A&M, where Stallings coached before moving on to the NFL and then Alabama, is among schools showing interest in potentially offering. But that won't make a difference, Chalk said.

"It doesn't really matter to me," Chalk said. "I'm going to be totally in. I'm not going to try to talk with any other coaches. I've already called the other coaches and told them I'm committed."

The ties between Clemson, Chalk and Stallings don't end with Swinney. Pearman, Clemson's tight ends coach, served on Stallings' staff at Alabama, and Clemson administrator Woody McCorvey served as Stallings' offensive coordinator.

Chalk spent three days at Clemson this week with his father, John, and his mother, Stallings' daughter Jackie.

A new arrival to Clemson's camp Wednesday, the final day for the first of two high school sessions, was Class of 2017 quarterback Jake Bentley, a son of new Auburn assistant and former Byrnes High coach Bobby Bentley. Jake, who's already taller than 6-3 and about 210 pounds, is bound for Opelika High in Alabama.

Auburn and Appalachian State have offered him already.

Thanks to a change in NCAA rules, current college players are allowed to help at college's camps, and a number of Clemson players have been working with the high school students this week.

"It's awesome!!" Clemson offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain posted on Twitter. "I'm so thankful for the rule change. 1. Because I want to be a coach. 2. (It's) always good to see future tigers!!"

Follow Michael Burns on Twitter @curecruiting