Three-star LB Flips from Northwestern to Clemson

Just over a week after earning his offer from the Clemson Tigers — a move that ultimately led to his decommitment from Northwestern — three-star linebacker/safety Brayden Reilly wasted little time setting up an official visit for the Tigers’ Week 10 matchup against Duke.

Now, ahead of that visit, Reilly has officially announced his commitment to Clemson, giving the Tigers their first linebacker in the 2026 class and adding momentum to what’s shaping up to be an intense midseason recruiting stretch for Dabo Swinney’s staff.

BREAKING: Class of 2026 LB Brayden Reilly has Committed to Clemson, he tells me for @rivals

The 6’3 210 LB from Cincinnati, OH recently decommitted from Northwestern

“Tiger Nation, I’m home.”https://t.co/f1NcB5nr2q pic.twitter.com/GnVQDAssCG
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) October 24, 2025

The 6-foot-3 Ohio native ranks as the No. 580 prospect nationally, the No. 42 LB and the No. 28 player in Ohio, according to 247Sports Composite.

Reilly plays for one of the best schools in the nation and in Ohio, at St. Xavier High School, which is the No. 6 team statewide and No. 100 nationally. Due to this, he wasn’t on the varsity team as a freshman, but made the most of his time once he was called up as a sophomore.

In his first two years on varsity, the hybrid safety/linebacker was a do-it-all kind of player, racking up 112 tackles, 6.5 for a loss, half a sack, two forced fumbles, three blocked punts, one blocked field goal, one punt return touchdown, eight pass deflections and six interceptions.

Still, his recruitment wouldn’t see the spike he expected, receiving offers from nearly every Ivy League program and a handful of Power Four programs, including but not limited to Missouri, West Virginia, and Minnesota, among others.

With not as many schools or coaches reaching out as he thought, Reilly felt his best option was to commit to Northwestern following an official visit there in May. However, the tides quickly turned after a successful senior season that was cut short, totaling 51 tackles, 4.5 for a loss, two forced fumbles, two blocked punts, six pass deflections and three interceptions for St. Xavier.

In the wake of his emergence, Clemson, Vanderbilt, and Michigan all offered within the same week, immediately sparking a recruiting battle. Reilly would quickly decommit from Northwestern, set up an official visit to Tigertown, and consequently commit to the program.

The 200-pound linebacker joins 21 other commits in Clemson’s 2026 class, which sits as the No. 15 overall recruiting class. The defensive recruits alongside him include: four-star Kentavion Anderson, four-star Keshawn Stancil, four-star Kaden Gebhardt, three-star Blake Stewart, three-star Shavar Young Jr., three-star Kameron Cody, three-star Marcell Gipson and three-star J.R. Hardrick.