Clemson target spurns Tigers for SEC school.
The Clemson Tigers and coach Dabo Swinney had long been considered the favorite to land elite four-star defensive lineman Bryce Perry-Wright in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
But on Saturday, Perry-Wright announced he was committing elsewhere. The 6-foot-2, 250-pound lineman is headed to College Station to play for Texas A&M after a late push by the Aggies this week.
Perry-Wright announced his decision in a live stream on 247Sports’ YouTube channel. The Texas Longhorns and Miami Hurricanes were the other finalists for Perry-Wright.
It’s a disappointing loss for Clemson on the recruiting trail after a hot stretch in June when the Tigers added five commitments: four-star defensive lineman Keshawn Stancil (Clayton, North Carolina), four-star EDGE Dre Quinn (Buford, Georgia), three-star defensive lineman JR Hardrick (South Pittsburg, Tennessee), and four-star offensive linemen Leo Delaney and Carter Scruggs.
Perry-Wright is the nation’s No. 2 defensive lineman in 247Sports’ player ratings for the 2026 class and is ranked as the No. 32 overall recruit. Rivals ranks him the No. 5 defensive lineman and the No. 33 overall recruit.
Perry-Wright had received a crystal ball prediction to sign with Clemson in late March, but Rivals recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong logged a prediction on Wednesday that the Peach State native would flip to Texas A&M.
Clemson football 2026 recruiting class commitments
Clemson currently has 20 hard commitments in its 2026 recruiting class, which is ranked No. 8 nationally by both 247Sports and Rivals.
- 4-star DL Keshawn Stancil (Clayton, North Carolina), June 28, 2025
- 4-star DL Dre Quinn (Buford, Georgia), June 19, 2025
- 3-star EDGE JR Hardrick (South Pittsburgh, Tennessee), June 5, 2025
- 4-star OL Carter Scruggs (Leesburg, Virginia), June 5, 2025
- 4-star OL Leo Delaney (Charlotte), June 4, 2025
- 4-star S Kentavion Anderson (Roebuck, South Carolina), May 15
- 4-star WR Gordon Sellars (Charlotte), April 18
- 3-star DL Kameron Cody (Savannah, Georgia), March 29
- 4-star S Kaden Gebhardt (Lewis Center, Ohio), March 11
- 3-star CB Marcell Gipson (Dallas), March 10
- 4-star OL Chancellor Barclay (Orlando, Florida), March 9
- 4-star OL Grant Wise (Milton, Florida), March 8
- 4-star WR Naeem Burroughs (Jacksonville, Florida), March 8
- 4-star WR Connor Salmin (Potomac, Maryland), March 8
- 3-star OT Adam Guthrie (Washington Court House, Ohio), March 7
- 3-star TE Tayveon Wilson (Huntington, West Virginia), December 21
- 3-star OT Braden Wilmes (Lawrence, Kansas), December 2
- 3-star QB Brock Bradley (Hoover, Alabama), August 21
- 3-star CB Shavar Young Jr. (Knoxville, Tennessee), August 2
- 3-star QB Tait Reynolds (Queen Creek, Arizona), July 7
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