Following their wildly successful Elite Retreat in Tiger Town this past weekend, Clemson and Dabo Swinney have had an incredible week of recruiting.
Two days after receiving his offer from the program, Texas native Marcell Gipson committed to the Tigers this past Monday afternoon, indicating that the recruiting cycle is just getting started.
With the addition of Gipson, Clemson Football now sits among the top three in terms of recruiting for the 2026 class, sitting just behind Oregon and USC with 12 commits — seven of which are four stars.
The 5-foot-11 cornerback ranks as a top-800 player nationally, the No. 67 cornerback and the No. 102 best player in Texas, per 247Sports Composite. He holds 29 total offers from schools like Oregon, Ole Miss, and Georgia Tech.
However, as soon as Clemson offered on March 8, multiple crystal-ball predictions were released the following day that had him trending toward the three-time National Champions. The first one came from Mike Roach, a National Analyst for 247Sports, while the other two came from Clemson insiders — all three analysts have had 100% accuracy for the 2026 class so far.
During Gipson’s first year in high school, he didn’t see any playing time on varsity for South Oak Cliff as they were one of the best schools in the nation — ranking No. 67 nationally and No. 20 in the state of Texas — and still are with loads of defensive talent.
However, by his sophomore season, he would take a massive leap as he’d make his 13-game varsity debut, where he recorded 41 tackles, one interception, one tackle for a loss and one fumble recovery for a touchdown. While his defensive stats for this past season aren’t posted anywhere, he helped lead Dallas South Oak Cliff to their fourth consecutive Texas 5A D-II State Championship game — recording six tackles and two pass deflections in the 38-35 loss.
The 170-pound corner looks excellent in man coverage, especially with his speed, but he doesn’t have a great frame to help him. He’s a versatile athlete, taking snaps at defensive back, wide receiver and punt/kick returner. While his build isn’t filled out yet, he possesses genetics like no other, with his uncle being former Pro Bowl safety Tashaun Gipson and his brother being a four-year starter at the Division I level.
Expect a tremendous senior season at one of the country’s best and most prominent high school football programs from the newly-committed Clemson Tiger.
