Clemson's elite junior day weekend has gotten off to a bang before even really getting started.
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Norfolk (Va.) Maury four-star defensive end Ari Watford has announced his commitment to Clemson.
"It's really the feeling I got when I went there," Watford told Rivals.com national analyst Adam Friedman. "Before you commit to Clemson, you have that conversation with coach (Dabo) Swinney; everybody who goes there goes for the right reasons. They go for the people. It's built on stability. It just feels great.
"They have the family-oriented vibe. They don't offer too many guys so you know if you get an offer from them, you know that you're really special. I feel like the coaching staff, even with coach (Chris) Rumph coming in, just made me feel like Clemson is the place."
Watford (6-5, 235), ranked No. 132 nationally by Rivals.com, picked Clemson over Ohio State, Penn State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and Syracuse.
He attended Clemson's game against Florida State in September, and to our knowledge, and the only other visit he took to a game was believed to be South Carolina.
Penn State was considered the chief contender.
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But Watford knew what he wanted and went ahead with his declaration in advance of his visit.
Added Watford: "The way the whole team is put together gives me a lot of confidence. With the defensive front and watching them play, especially T.J. Parker coming in and dominating like he did, I feel I could come in and do the same thing and play along side them."
Watford will be joined at Clemson's Elite Junior Day by two other four-star edge players in Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley's Bryce Davis and Warner Robins (Ga.)'s Isaiah Gibson.
He becomes Clemson's eighth commitment for the 2025 recruiting class, joining Lynchburg (Va.) Liberty Christian four-star running back Gideon Davidson, Lawrence (Mass.) Central Catholic four-star quarterback Blake Hebert, Florence (S.C.) South Florence four-star defensive tackle Amare Adams, Belton-Honea Path (S.C.) four-star athlete MarQuise Henderson, Woodbridge (Va.) Freedom receiver Carleton "Juju" Preston, Savannah (Ga.) Christian Prep tight end Logan Brooking and Lynchburg (Va.) Liberty Christian offensive lineman Easton Ware.
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