Clemson offensive line coach Matt Luke's push to get bigger bodies across the board has yielded another sizable return.
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Lawrence (Kan.) Free State junior tackle Braden Wilmes has announced his commitment to Clemson.
Wilmes (6-8, 285) picked the Tigers over offers from Florida State, Iowa, Wisconsin, Kansas State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Kansas, Duke and Northwestern among others.
We would tell you he informed Clemson's coaching staff of his decision Saturday upon attending Clemson's game with South Carolina.
As you might recall, Tigerillustrated.com brought to light his abrupt return in advance of the weekend.
We informed subscribers Wilmes stood as a significant name to know for this class in early September before he traveled in for the Tigers' home-opening against Appalachian State.
His mother went to Clemson, and that put a bull's-eye on the Tigers as a suitor Wilmes wanted. We quoted him saying he hadn't missed a Clemson game on television in years.
"Seeing as my mom went to school at Clemson, she knew a few friends who were tailgating," Wilmes told Tigerillustrated.com following his September campus visit for the Appalachian State game. "So we went and caught up with them and had a great time experiencing what it's like to just be a regular fan.
"It was an unrivaled experience. Never experienced anything like it. Clemson has an immense and amazing fan base."
Wilmes worked out for Luke at the Dabo Swinney Camp in June.
Said Wilmes on Luke in an earlier interview with Tigerillustrated.com: "I love him. He has so much energy. I got to talk with Tristan Leigh about him when I was at camp, and he said he only had great things to say about him. He said he had learned so much in only the few months he'd been with him. I love being around him. I could run through a brick wall for him. I see how those guys just enjoy having him as their coach."
He becomes the fifth commitment for Clemson's 2026 class.
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Tigerillustrated.com will have much more on Wilmes, including behind-the-scenes intel on his recruitment, in our next Monday Insider.
CLEMSON's 2026 VERBAL COMMITMENTS
1. (QB) Tait Reynolds - Queen Creek, Ariz.
2. (DB) Shavar Young - Knoxville, Tenn.
3. (QB) Brock Bradley - Birmingham, Ala.
4. (TE) Tayveon Wilson - Huntington, WV
5. (OL) Braden Wilmes - Lawrence, Kan.
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