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Former Northwestern Commit Sets Official Visit with Clemson

Less than 24 hours after officially decommitting from Northwestern, 2026 LB Brayden Reilly has set an official visit with Clemson.
Angelo Feliberty|
2026 LB Brayden Reilly has scheduled an official visit to Clemson for its Week 10 matchup against Duke.
2026 LB Brayden Reilly has scheduled an official visit to Clemson for its Week 10 matchup against Duke. | Tony Tribble for The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Clemson Tigers

The Clemson Tigers’ recruiting momentum has been heating up recently, with the staff actively pursuing several defensive targets in the 2026 class. 

Just 24 hours after pulling his verbal commitment to Northwestern, three-star LB Brayden Reilly already has his next move lined up – an official visit to Clemson for their Week 10 matchup against Duke.

Reilly isn’t the only recent flip target for Clemson, either. The Tigers also extended an offer to former Penn State commit Julian Peterson yesterday, signaling that Dabo Swinney and his staff are actively capitalizing on the wave of midseason movement in the 2026 class.

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’s recruitment, however, didn’t start with this kind of national attention. Heading into his senior year, the versatile linebacker was a relatively under-the-radar prospect with only a few Power Four offers to his name, leading him to commit to Northwestern initially.

In his sophomore and junior years at St. Xavier High School, Reilly put up productive numbers that showed his impact long before the major offers arrived, 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.

That upside and production set the foundation for what would become a breakout senior campaign, as Reilly’s game took another step forward this season and has caught the attention of multiple major programs, receiving offers from Clemson, Vanderbilt and Michigan in the past week.

Through nine games in 2025, Reilly recorded 53 tackles, 4.5 for a loss, two forced fumbles, two blocked punts, nine pass deflections and three interceptions for St. Xavier. His last regular season game of the year was cancelled.

After falling to Archbishop Moeller in last year’s state championship, Reilly looks to lead his team back to the top as the Bombers sit at 7-2 entering the Region 4 OHSAA Playoffs, ranking No. 100 nationally and No. 6 in Ohio.

The do-it-all athlete’s potential addition would fill a key need for Clemson’s 2026 class, which currently features several defensive standouts but no linebackers committed. 

The Tigers’ defensive haul so far has been headlined by four-star Kentavion Anderson, four-star Keshawn Stancil and four-star Kaden Gebhardt, among others, giving Reilly a clear opportunity to step into a position of need should his recruitment with Clemson continue to trend upward.

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Angelo Feliberty
ANGELO FELIBERTY

Angelo Feliberty is a Sports Communication major who got his start with The Tiger newspaper at Clemson University starting as a contributor and working his way up to senior reporter covering multiple sports for the Clemson Tigers. A native of Myrtle Beach, S.C., Feliberty was a three-year letterman in track at Myrtle Beach High School.

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