Tiger Tracker: 2023 TE Reid Mikeska Decommits From Clemson, Set to Visit Oklahoma
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Less than a month ago, 2023 TE Reid Mikeska committed to Clemson. Late Thursday night, Mikeska backed off that verbal pledge.
"After many prayers and discussions with my family, I have decided to recommit from Clemson University," Mikeska wrote in a tweet. "I am grateful to Coach Swinney, Coach Richardson, and the Clemson family for believing in me. I will be reopening my recruiting process and am excited for what God has planned."
The 6-foot-6, 233-pound SI All-American candidate out of Cypress, Texas, has more than 40 offers, with the most recent coming from Oklahoma last week. That offer has now changed things drastically, as Mikeska is set to visit Norman this weekend.
Dabo Swinney's policy on committed players taking visits elsewhere is well known, so this was a split that was easy to see coming. Whether Mikeska quickly commits to Oklahoma or decides on taking more visits remains to be seen.
The timing of this one is what probably stings most. The Tigers had finally started to gain some traction on the recruiting trail, adding three members to the 2023 class in the month of April. A decommitment at this point, hurts that momentum, at the very least from a perception standpoint.
The Tigers plan on signing two TEs in the 2023 class, and losing Mikeska would not change those plans. Currently, only two uncommitted players at the position hold an offer from Clemson. One of those is Jelani Thurman, who is a Top-150 talent, who just named Clemson as one of his top schools, along with Auburn, Miami, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Alabama, Ohio State and Tennessee.
Running backs coach C.J. Spiller and new TE coach Kyle Richardson were both in the Orlando area recently at Edgewood High, and one of the players they were checking in on outside of 2023 RB target Cedric Baxter was 2023 TE Camp Magee. The TE prospect has 17 offers currently, a list that includes Miami, Louisville, Pitt, Boston College, West Virginia and Virginia Tech.
Clemson now has just three players committed in the 2023 class. WR commit Nathaniel Joseph is another name to watch as the Hurricanes have been hard at work trying to flip the speedy wideout.
Joseph, who is from the Miami area and committed late last year, was the first member of the 2023 class, and last visited for Elite Junior Day. He is expected to be back on campus the weekend of June 3 when Clemson will host about two dozen prospects on official visits.
The Tigers, who went 10-3 in 2021 and finished 14th in the final Associated Press Poll, are the fourth team on FanDuel Sportsbook's list to win it all in 2022.
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