As Amier Clarke made official visits and spent time with defensive line coaches, Georgia Tech’s Jess Simpson stood well above the others. Clarke, who plays at Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola, announced his Georgia Tech commitment Thursday.
And it was clear why the Yellow Jackets were the pick.
“It’s really Jess Simpson, to be honest, the D-line coach,” Clarke said. “Of all the places I went, I feel like he’s the best coach to develop me to where I need to go and it did it with plenty of guys.
“That’s why I like him. That’s why I am going there. He believes in me and sees a lot of potential.”
Defensive coordinator Blake Gideon and coach Brent Key made strong impressions with Clarke during the final stretches of his recruitment, but it was Simpson’s mix of personality and coaching that swung the pendulum in Georgia Tech’s favor.
During a stint at Duke, defensive lineman DeWayne Carter and Aeneas Peebles developed into NFL Draft picks. That grabbed Clarke’s attention, but his connection with Simpson went beyond that.
“He’s a great guy, funny,” he said. “He’s a family guy, too. He takes care of you. He really cares about his players.”
Here is what you need to know:
WHAT AMIER CLARKE SAYS ABOUT GEORGIA TECH
“I know it’s a good football program,” he said. “At the same time, I am getting great academics.”
WHO ELSE WAS IN THE MIX?
Clarke chose Georgia Tech from a top four that also included Boston College, Rutgers and Syracuse. He made official visits to each of the programs, and the Yellow Jackets set the pace during his May 30-June 1 trip.
He was at Rutgers, Boston College and Syracuse during the next three weekends, but his belief in Simpson was unmatched and put the Yellow Jackets over the top.
WHERE AMIER CLARKE RANKS AS A RECRUIT
Clarke has a 247Sports grade of 86, which makes him the nation’s No. 129 defensive lineman and Florida’s No. 138 player. In the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, Clarke is the No. 133 defensive lineman nationally and No. 145 player in Florida.
HOW AMIER CLARKE FITS WITH GEORGIA TECH
Clarke is the third defensive lineman in the class to go along with edge rusher Chris Carbin of Powder Springs (Ga.) Hillgrove. Orlando (Fla.) First Academy’s Alex Willis and Port Orange (Fla.) Spruce Creek’s Freddie Wilson are the other defensive lineman in a class with 21 members.
Clarke fits perfectly into the Yellow Jackets’ recruiting footprint. Fourteen of the commitments are from Georgia, six are from Florida and one is from Alabama. Georgia Tech’s class is ranked 39th nationally and 11th in the 17-team ACC.
