One of Clemson's First 2028 Offers Slips Away to the SEC

Just three months after sending out the offer, Clemson has officially lost out on one of its priority targets in the 2028 class.

On Tuesday morning, blue-chip Rabun Gap (Ga.) linebacker Jay Schell announced his commitment to Oklahoma, choosing the Sooners over Clemson, as first-reported by On3's Hayes Fawcett.

He is rated a consensus four-star prospect and ranks as the No. 97 overall player, the No. 1 player at his position and the No. 13 recruit in the state of Georgia, according to ESPN Recruiting Rankings.

BREAKING: Four-Star LB Jay Schell has Committed to Oklahoma, he tells me for @Rivals

The 6’3 215 LB from Rabun Gap, GA chose the Sooners over Clemson

“BOOMER SOONER, I’m home!!!”⁰⁰https://t.co/BNYJEBa0kU pic.twitter.com/pnHru2TYiu
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) September 22, 2026

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound backer has been on the Tigers' radar for a while now, not only because of his play on the field, but also because of his connections to the program.

The Central, South Carolina native grew up just down the road from Clemson, attending D.W. Daniel High School as a freshman. Both of his parents are also alumni of the school, with his father, Matt, even playing quarterback for the Tigers from 1998 to 2001.

Naturally, he gravitated towards the Tigers, taking his first visit to the school last summer for the annual Dabo Swinney Football Camp. He also took trips to schools such as Georgia, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Houston.

While he scored offers from all of the schools mentioned above, outside of Clemson, his recruitment only blew up more after a dominant sophomore campaign at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee, where he totaled 77 tackles, 14 for a loss, 12 QB hurries, three sacks and one forced fumble.

He took fall visits to Clemson (twice), Georgia (twice), Kentucky, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and NC State, and by the time spring came, Schell boasted more than 25 offers.

As his recruitment continued to grow throughout the spring, Schell began expanding his options, taking unofficial visits to Florida, Texas, Florida State, Indiana and Nebraska, among others. He also took a pair of visits to Tigertown before making his first-ever trip to Norman, Oklahoma.

Entering the summer, the primary schools to watch were the Sooners, Bulldogs and Tigers, especially with the program making Schell one of the first two offers in the 2028 class after he returned for the Dabo Swinney Football Camp.

In late August, he trimmed his list down to just Clemson and Oklahoma, with Brent Venables having a significant lead over Dabo Swinney. Three On3 experts, including Chad Simmons and Steve Wiltfong, submitted predictions in favor of the Sooners within five days of the announcement.

Schell said he wanted to see both schools for a game-day visit before making his final decision, setting up one last trip to Clemson for their home opener against Georgia Southern and his first-ever gameday visit to Oklahoma for its Week 3 matchup against New Mexico.

Soon after, though, Michigan, which offered in March, entered the competition by making it clear he's a priority for them. Schell called it "a three-team race" before scheduling a visit for Michigan's season-opener against Western Michigan.

While both the Tigers and Wolverines mounted late pushes, Schell ultimately chose the front-runner in Oklahoma, which currently boasts a top-three recruiting class in the country.

As for the other linebackers Clemson is targeting in the 2028 class, their lone other offer is out to five-star Tahj Gray, who is trending toward Ohio State.

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