Clemson in strong position for four-star prospect Tae Walden Jr.

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Four-star athlete Tae Walden Jr. has Clemson firmly in the mix for his services, with the Tigers listed among his top teams alongside Georgia, Oregon, Florida State, and Arkansas on 247Sports. Walden, a 6-foot-2.5, 165-pound prospect out of Collierville High School in Tennessee, is ranked as the No. 65 overall player in the 2027 class, the No. 3 athlete, and the No. 4 player in Tennessee in the 247Sports Composite.

On 247Sports’ own rankings, he is even slightly higher nationally, sitting at No. 63 overall, No. 3 among athletes and No. 3 in Tennessee.

Nobody seems totally locked in on what he is long term, and that is kind of the appeal. Like a Travis Hunter. Andrew Ivins’ 247Sports scouting report describes him as a perimeter playmaker whose ceiling could be highest at either wide receiver or defensive back. Some players get labeled as “athletes” because nobody knows where to hide them. Walden feels more like the other version, where he can genuinely hurt teams on both sides of the ball.

In 2025, his junior year, Walden caught 42 passes for 912 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 21.7 yards per catch, according to the 247Sports scouting report. Defensively, he added 28 tackles, 17 pass breakups and five interceptions. With his frame, track background and ability to make plays after the catch, he brings the kind of vertical juice and open-field ability the Tigers have been trying to keep adding at receiver.

His scouting report notes an 11.53 in the 100-meter dash as a 10th grader, and the film reportedly shows that speed carrying over. He can get vertical, run underneath deep balls, and turn shorter throws into chunk gains with his vision and acceleration. That is exactly the kind of player Clemson fans have been begging to see more of in the passing game.

The On3/Rivals side has Georgia slightly ahead at 20.2 percent, with Clemson right behind at 17.6 percent. Oregon, Auburn and Ole Miss are also in the picture. So this is not yet a recruitment where Clemson is running away with anything, as whenever there isn't much news about a player, the decision tends not to be close to a conclusion.

Walden also has a Clemson visit listed for May 29, which could be a major moment in this recruitment. Georgia, Oregon and Florida State are all scheduled around him too, so Clemson will need to make its push count. When a player has this many legitimate options, getting him on campus is only step one. The Tigers need to show him exactly how he fits and why their offensive plan makes sense for him.

There is also very importantly, NFL DNA in Tae Walden. Walden’s father, Erik Walden, played 10 seasons in the NFL after being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 2008.

For Clemson, Walden would be a big-time pickup because he checks so many boxes. He has length, speed, ball skills, production, and positional flexibility. He may still need to add strength and keep developing physically, but the upside is obvious. Whether he ultimately lands at receiver, defensive back or somewhere in between, he looks like the kind of athlete a College Football Playoff contender wants on its roster.

Clemson has work to do, especially with Georgia sitting right there, but Walden is absolutely a name worth watching. If the Tigers can make a strong impression during his visit, this could become one of the more important skill-position recruitments of their 2027 cycle.

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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson in strong position for NFL linebackers son

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