Clemson Offers New LB Target, Sets Official Visit and Commitment Date

Just four days ago, Clemson Tigers on SI reported that three-star Tyson Washington and the program mutually agreed not to host him for an official visit next weekend, as they looked to go all-in on four-star Roman Igwebuike and four-star Sean Fox. Well, that has now changed.

On Saturday morning, linebacker Raymond “RJ” Hudson announced his offer from Clemson after impressing at the annual Dabo Swinney Camp. He presumably also set a commitment date last night, tweeting “06/19/26 🏠:) !!”

Hudson is rated a three-star prospect and ranks as the No. 612 overall player, the No. 53 edge rusher and the No. 14 recruit in the state of Virginia, according to the 247Sports Composite.

#AGTG Blessed to receive an offer from Clemson University!! @benboulware7 @ClemsonTigers @ClemsonTigerNet pic.twitter.com/RNpdWsmrul
— RJ “bounce” Hudson (@Da1raymond) June 6, 2026

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound edge rusher/linebacker has flown under the radar in the recruiting scene after posting a breakout junior campaign that saw him finish 2025 with 45 tackles, eight for a loss, 13 sacks, two pass deflections, two forced fumbles and one interception while helping lead the Varina Blue Devils to a 13-2 overall record and a VHSL Class 4 state championship.

The performance led to a bunch of smaller Group of Six schools offering him, as well as some Power Four programs such as Penn State, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Maryland. While Clemson wasn’t on the official offer sheet for Hudson, though, they’d been evaluating him since January before bringing him in for its Spring Elite Day in mid-April, according to Tiger Illustrated's Paul Strelow.

Initially, he set an official visit schedule that included: Virginia Tech (May 29), Maryland (June 4) and Syracuse (June 12).

However, after earning an offer from camping in Clemson on Tuesday, and getting a chance to work out with the linebackers before a hamstring injury prematurely ended his showcase — as he was supposed to also work with the edge rushers — the Tigers have now replaced his official visit with the Orange next week.

While Hudson is listed as an edge rusher across all sites, Clemson is looking to play him at linebacker primarily, and for good reason. Surely they were impressed with what he looked like among other linebackers at camp — or else they wouldn’t have pulled the trigger on an offer — but when you look at his film on the defensive line, he has all the attributes to become an elite linebacker.

Hudson displays explosive athleticism — recording a phenomenal 21.7-second 200-meter dash — an impressive burst off the line, a tendency to easily sheds blocks and has a relatively high pre-snap IQ. Add in his physical style of play and you have just about every trait a coach could ask for in a linebacker — especially a coach like Tom Allen or Ben Boulware.

While the addition of Hudson to the board may seem like the Tigers have lost out on both of their top remaining linebackers, that’s not the case. Hudson looks to simply be a safety net in case the program doesn’t land one of the two priority backers. However, it raises questions about why Clemson canceled Tyson Washington’s visit earlier this week.

As it stands, Igwebuike is set to make his decision on July 11 following his official visits. Clemson and Tennessee appeared to be the neck-and-neck favorites for the four-star prospect heading into his official visit with Missouri this past weekend. Although he still has an official visit scheduled to Notre Dame for next week, before rounding out his schedule with one last trip to Knoxville.

Fox, on the other hand, is currently on an official visit with Kentucky, which has made a significant jump over the past weekend after Clemson led for most of the spring. It looks to be a 50/50 jump-ball between the Tigers and Wildcats for the four-star target, but he remains uncommitted as of June 7, 2026.

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