After losing out on five-star David Sanders Jr. to Tennessee earlier in the recruiting process, Clemson and Dabo Swinney knew they had to hit on Leo Delaney — who plays on the opposite side of the line from Sanders Jr. at Providence Day School in Charlotte.
After multiple unofficial visits to both schools, Delaney had received one crystal-ball to Tennessee, however there were three others that said he would choose Clemson.
But what must’ve done it for the top interior lineman was his official visit to Clemson as he chose the Tigers before he could even make it up north to Penn State or Michigan for his final visits.
“Everything Coach Swinney talked about felt so real and it seemed like a place I knew I’d be developed as a man and player, and most importantly, love being at. He talked a lot about his plan and how nothing is falling off, how he believes in all of us and will be committed to us if we go there.”
Leo Delaney
By making his commitment official, Delaney will now be teaming up with his current high school teammate, WR Gordon Sellars, in Death Valley next season.
Delaney now sits atop Clemson’s recruiting class in terms of ranking as he’s the No. 133 overall prospect, the No. 6 IOL and the No. 8 player in North Carolina, per 247Sports Composite.
The highly-touted recruit is also the fifth offensive lineman that Matt Luke has added, speaking to how impactful Luke is for the Tigers.
He chose Clemson over a load of historic programs such as Alabama, Penn State, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee and more.
The 6-foot-6, 290-pound lineman made waves in the recruiting scene as a sophomore after being utilized as a two-player for Providence Day in the 2023-2024 season, racking up 40 tackles, five for losses and nine QB hurries while providing stellar blocking offensively for now-Michigan QB Jadyn Davis.
This performance earned him honors as a MaxPreps Sophomore All-American and a State Championship ring to go with it.
As a junior this past season he was moved primarily to offense — starting at right tackle — but also saw some snaps at guard and defensive tackle. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t get to lay it all out there for his teammates as the back-end of his season was cut short due to injury.
One of the coolest things that I’ve found out about Leo Delaney that he’s already incorporated into football is his martial arts background — holding a black belt in Jeet Kune do. This has helped him gain outstanding hand usage on blocks as he can bend and create leverage to steer and finish defenders in the run game.
Overall I think Delaney can be a huge impact for Clemson in the upcoming years as he’s already highly skilled in multiple areas, but once he adds on that collegiate-level lifting, he’s going to be an unsolved problem for opposing defenses.
