Top Clemson Safety Target Decommits from North Carolina

Just five months after deciding where he wanted to take his talents at the collegiate level, 2027 safety Marquis Bryant has officially decommitted from ACC foe North Carolina.

BREAKING: Four-Star Safety Marquis Bryant has Decommitted from North Carolina, he tells me for @Rivals⁰⁰The 6’0 190 S had been Committed to the Tar Heels since December

He currently holds a total of 40 offershttps://t.co/Cuoya7lnzi pic.twitter.com/KBdisuvkto
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 1, 2026

He announced his commitment date in November and eventually made his official decision on December 16 of last year, choosing the Tar Heels over Clemson, Tennessee, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Nebraska.

The 5-foot-11 defensive back is rated a four-star prospect and ranks as the No. 188 overall player, the No. 19 safety and the No. 9 player in the state of North Carolina, according to Rivals' industry ranking.

Across his three-year tenure at Rolesville High School, the junior has totaled 139 tackles, 23 pass deflections, eight interceptions, four forced fumbles and one sack.

It's expected that most of his top schools from the first time around are heavily involved in his re-opened recruitment, but as of now, the schools to watch are Tennessee and Kentucky, according to On3's Steve Wiltfong.

Obviously, the Volunteers were one of his top schools before his initial commitment, making four to five visits there, and now, he was in Knoxville just this past weekend to meet with their new defensive staff.

The Wildcats, on the other hand, offered him in January 2025 but never picked up too much steam on the recruitment trail. However, they visited him twice during the winter, and he plans to be in Lexington on April 17 for an unofficial visit.

While Bryant said he's taking his recruitment slower this time around, the Tigers will still have a strong chance in his recruitment over the coming months, as the program was heavily in the mix prior.

The 190-pound safety took his first unofficial visit to Death Valley in September 2024 for their contest against NC State. Then, he was back on campus four times in 2025, most recently stopping by for the season-opener against LSU.

The re-opening of his recruitment comes at a perfect time for Clemson as well, considering they lost out on two players at the position during the 2026 cycle, as four-star Kaden Gebhardt flipped to Ohio State on National Signing Day, and three-star Blake Stewart decommitted before flipping to Georgia.

The only major change at Clemson since Bryant's original recruitment is the coaching staff. Following a disappointing 2025, longtime safeties coach Mickey Conn departed from the team to become Samford's defensive coordinator and safeties coach, and the Tigers have since hired former safety Nolan Turner to fill the role.

Coaching changes always play a big part in one's recruitment, as it did heavily with Gebhardt's decision to flip. But, with Bryant already showing the willingness to visit Tennessee with a new defensive staff, it's certainly possible that Bryant makes a return to upstate South Carolina.