Clemson Offers Two New Tight End Targets After Recent Recruiting Misses

Clemson pivots at tight end, extending two new offers as the staff looks to rebound from recent recruiting setbacks. Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

Clemson Offers Two New Tight End Targets After Recent Recruiting Misses

Originally posted on Clemson Tigers on SI
By Angelo Feliberty | Last updated Apr 19, 2026 5:56 PM ET

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Over the past week, two high-priority tight end targets came off the recruiting board for the Clemson Tigers, leaving obvious holes that need to be filled.

The first miss was four-star prospect and top-15 tight end Grant Haviland, who chose Vanderbilt over the Tigers after offering him last summer, and, most recently, hosting him at the program's annual Elite Retreat.

The second recruiting whiff at the position was three-star Tommy Douglas, who committed to Florida on Thursday after receiving an offer during the Elite Retreat visit in early March.

With both targets now off the board for Clemson, head coach Dabo Swinney and tight ends coach Kyle Richardson are now pursuing new prospects.

The first of these is Mason Hall, who attends Oconee County High School in Watkinsville, Georgia. Over three years on varsity for the Warriors, Hall totaled 119 receptions for 1,545 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.

Grateful to receive an offer from Clemson! @coachkr10 @Coachbg_qb @PaulStrelowTI @OCFearTheSpear pic.twitter.com/2tBy6cZrHx
— Mason Hall (@MasonHall86) April 17, 2026

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound tight end is rated a three-star and ranks as the No. 53 player at his position, according to 247Sports Composite rankings.

He holds nearly 30 offers and visited Clemson once last summer, but has official visits locked in with Duke, Virginia, Pittsburgh and NC State currently, which could be due to change.

The second new player on the board is Carter Blackwell, who received his offer the day after Hall — April 18 — and attends Lee County High School in Leesburg, Georgia. He's had a similar high school career arc to Haviland, as his best campaign came this past season, where he totaled 24 receptions for 438 yards and five touchdowns.

I’m blessed and honored to have received an offer from Clemson University‼️ @rockerlee229 @coachkr10 @ChadSimmons_ @247recruiting @On3 @Clemson247 @Rivals pic.twitter.com/X3cIDgLW2G
— Carter Blackwell (@CarterBwell) April 18, 2026

The 6-foot-4, 224-pound pass-catcher is also rated a three-star recruit and ranks as the No. 810 overall player, the No. 42 tight end and the No. 96 prospect in the state of Georgia, according to 247Sports Composite rankings.

He holds 23 offers and has official visits scheduled with multiple ACC foes, including Duke, Florida State, North Carolina and UCF as of now.

Aside from Hall and Blackwell, the lone prospect remaining on the board is five-star Jaxon Dollar, who included Clemson in his top 10 back in December 2025 and attended the program's Elite Retreat. However, Notre Dame appears to be the frontrunner, with Irish Illustrated recruiting writer Eric Thomas and On3's Mike Singer both predicting Dollar will land with the Fighting Irish.

Clemson's 2027 recruiting class currently ranks as the 21st-best in the nation, including five three-star commits and two four-stars in linebacker Bryce Kish and local wide receiver Trey Wimbley.

This article first appeared on Clemson Tigers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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