How Clemson football landed Tee Higgins, Amari Rodgers

Editor's Note: This story has been updated. NCAA rules prohibit college coaches from in-person contact away from campus with recruits during their junior year of high school. The rule also applies to families of the athletes.

Dabo Swinney wasn't naive earlier this month when he told Lady Stewart he was visiting Oak Ridge High School.



Swinney’s stock never had been higher as a coach, especially after Clemson overthrew Alabama in the College Football Playoff national championship game the previous week.

There was a good chance the buzz surrounding his arrival would reach a fever pitch when he traveled to see Stewart's son -- prized five-star wide receiver commitment Tee Higgins -- play basketball.

"I remember when (Tennessee football coach) Butch Jones came to watch Tee (during his junior year ), he had two state troopers and they had a place for Butch to sit that was roped off," Stewart said. "But with Dabo, we're actually on a visit to Clemson when he told me he was coming.

“He said: 'I'm going to sit with you.' I said: 'Are you sure? I have this spot that I've sat in for four years. Are you sure you don't need security?' He said, 'No, I don't need that.' Dabo came in the top of the arena...walked over to Section J and he and (assistant Jeff Scott) squished in with us, just like a normal person.

“He’s not looking for all that attention. He handles it well. He didn’t think he was better than anybody. He didn’t need security. He was just a fan that night."

Jones, per NCAA rules, was not allowed to have in-person contact with Higgins that day because it was away from campus and Higgins was a junior. The rule also prevented Jones from contact with Higgins' family.

Stewart is unsure how much of Oak Ridge's blowout victory over Central Swinney actually absorbed on Jan. 17. He was taking selfies with fans, including several clad in Clemson orange. He signed autographs and chatted with curious onlookers, showing off a personality that, whether calculated or genuine, resonated with Stewart throughout her son’s recruiting process.

The persona meshed with the tight-knit nature of Clemson’s 2017 signing class to form the crux of Higgins and Catholic wide receiver Amari Rodgers’ recruitments. No coach – and no program – appealed to the duo more than Swinney and the Tigers.

Not Alabama. Not LSU.

Not nearby Tennessee, the school Higgins committed to play for as a junior.

It's a point of discontent among UT loyalists, since Rodgers and Higgins' elite status is an anomaly in the mild recruiting grounds of East Tennessee. The discord will continue into Wednesday, when the pair will sign National Letters of Intent with Clemson.

"I've said this before," Oak Ridge coach Joe Gaddis said. "I don't think there was anything Tennessee did wrong; in fact, it did everything right. Coach (Zach Azzanni) did a great job of recruiting Tee Higgins.

"But for whatever reason, he, and probably even Amari, just has a greater comfort level with Clemson.”

Laying the groundwork

It's uncommon for the PrepXtra coverage area to account for a player as highly touted as Rodgers or Higgins in one recruiting cycle.

It's rare for it to happen twice in one class. Both are Under Armour All-Americans.

Higgins, who used his 6-foot-5, 190-pound frame, to set every receiving record known to Oak Ridge, is a consensus five-star prospect and the nation's No. 19 overall recruit, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. His status, typically reserved for those with the greatest NFL potential, is the highest by an area player since recruiting websites became the norm more than a decade ago. Only Webb's Todd Kelly Jr. (No. 61 in 2014) and Alcoa's Brandon Warren (No. 64 in 2006) achieved composite top-100 rankings since 2006.

Rodgers, at No. 115 overall, nearly joined that group. Once a tweener prospect, the 5-10, 210-pound four-star blossomed after transitioning from running back to wide receiver before his junior year. He sustained his burst while his frame filled out, helping him become the driving force behind Catholic’s Class 4A state championship run in 2015.

The acclaim – including Mr. Football and PrepXtra Offensive Player of the Year honors – is no surprise considering his pedigree.

He's the son of former Tennessee quarterback Tee Martin, who left a Texas-sized shadow over Knoxville after leading the Vols to a national title during the 1998 season. Rodgers, though, was desperate to carve out his own legacy, having already committed to Southern Cal – where Martin serves as offensive coordinator – by the time Jones offered a scholarship in July 2015.

“If he had to pick one reason not to go to Tennessee, that was it,” Catholic coach Steve Matthews said. “I’m sure he wondered, ‘Am I going to be known as Tee Martin’s son for another four years?’ And not that it’s a bad thing. Clemson did a great job of selling their past receivers.”

NFL standouts DeAndre Hopkins (Houston) and Sammy Watkins (Buffalo) are among them.

Rodgers knew their resumes after growing up a Clemson fan, an allegiance that impacted his recruitment.

He decommitted from USC two days after Clemson offered him a scholarship in December 2015. Like Jones, Swinney used a wait-and-see approach to see how Rodgers developed.

Rodgers checked all the boxes by the time he arrived in Clemson with Higgins for a junior day the following January. Also present was Hunter Johnson, a five-star quarterback prospect who was committed to Tennessee when Higgins chose the Vols that August.

“We spent the whole weekend together," Rodgers said. "That’s really when we started to bond.”

How they got away

Higgins contends Johnson's decommitment from Tennessee didn't directly impact his decision to leave home, but it's hard to know for sure.

Higgins contacted Jones to reopen his recruitment in February 2016, only a week after the junior day visit. By that time, Johnson already had committed to the Tigers, and Rodgers had an announcement scheduled for Valentine's Day.

"It was tough because knowing that's my backyard school," said Higgins, who grew up in a family of Tennessee fans. "I wanted to be a man and call Butch Jones myself and not wimp out and text him or anything like call an assistant coach. I wanted to call the head coach I was committed to.

"When I told him I wanted to reopen my recruitment and keep my options open, he said: 'Man, we're going to recruit you just like you were never committed.' "

Jones and Azzanni didn't slow their pace. Higgins continued to stay in contact with the Vols and even made a surprise appearance at Tennessee's satellite camp in Nashville.

The Vols emerged as Higgins' leader on May 31, to no avail. Higgins committed to Clemson on July 4, using a Bleacher Report video filmed in advance to make his announcement.

"Clemson and Tennessee were my main two schools," Higgins said. "Tennessee was in front, and then the last two weeks, me and Coach Scott got real, real close. I just felt more of a bond between me and Coach Scott and Coach Swinney and decided to go to Clemson. Amari was committed, but that has nothing to do with why I committed.

"A lot of people think that but that's not true."

What resonated was playing a position that Clemson commonly represents in the NFL. The program's new 140,000 square-foot athletic facility will have few rivals in the country. And the Tigers' national runner-up finish to Alabama in 2016 didn't hurt matters.

Nor did Clemson's stunning rally to the title this past season.

"Tee went up to Tennessee a lot," Stewart said. "When we would go, he never was very verbal or would say too much. He's a quiet kid, but he was standoffish. He was trying to get a feel for it. But when he went to Clemson, it was a totally different feel. He felt at home and it was a better fit for him."

Same for Rodgers.

Their absence likely will be a talking point among fans when Tennessee announces its signing class. The Vols landed heralded in-state recruit Trey Smith (University School of Jackson) and are expected to add another in Ty Chandler (Montgomery Bell Academy).

But it's easiest to remember the players who got away. Leroy Thompson still comes to mind. The former Austin-East star running back was rated the top recruit in the country before signing with Penn State in 1987.

"(Swinney) made the comment to me several times that Tee at camps and things is the most impressive receiver that he’s ever had, and he’s had some that are playing in the NFL right now," Gaddis said. "He expects Tee to start as a true freshman and he doesn’t bat an eye when he says that."

Rodgers hopes for the same as a versatile slot receiver, whose role will include carries off jet sweeps and catches off screen passes.

"He can do some things after he gets the ball in his hands that I know they’re excited about," Matthews said. "He’s physical. Despite some height deficiencies, he can still go up and get the ball. They’re excited about him. They’ve got two excellent players."

Chris Thomas covers high school sports. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisThomasKNS

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