Frank Ladson Jr. opens up about his top priorities, recruiting, and the Clemson Tigers

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Last week we spoke with 2019 4-star wideout Frank Ladson‍ about the recruiting process and what he is looking for at the next level. In this in-depth interview, Ladson, a former Florida commit, gave us an inside look his recruitment. 

In this era, the top-rated athletes are flooded with attention through text messages, social media, and the postal service. We asked about the process of recruiting now that the 2018 signing days are in the books and teams have focused on the 2019 class.

“It’s crazy. It’s a whole lot of attention to handle," Ladson said. "Just different schools, players, coaches, just everybody coming at you at once.”

With so many suitors, you have to begin to sort through the things that make one program stand out from the rest. For Ladson, there are a few key things he would like to see from his future program.

“Great academics. Great people, I want to be around great people," Ladson told us. "I want to play for a great program. Great coaches, teammates, that’s about it."

That statement alone was somewhat surprising because in a day an age where players can have a "me first" mentality, the thought of having the ball in his hand didn't seem to be a huge deal.

Pressed on the issue of playing in a scheme that would highlight his skill set the Sunshine State star noted, “Me being a receiver, I want to go somewhere where they throw the ball and where I feel like I would be a great fit in an offensive system.”

Even still if the quarterback struggles in the downfield passing game, it can be a real problem for a wideout, but that's not a concern, “When I get there, it’ll take care of itself. I feel like there are some great college quarterbacks at this level. I figure everything will fall into place.”

Knowing that Clemson has a lot of great quarterbacks on campus, we asked about one former Clemson star to gauge Ladson's thoughts on what he saw from Tiger Town when Deshaun Watson was running things.

"He's the GOAT," Ladon remarked.

In terms of film study and evaluation, the wideout felt his game compares best to "A.J. Green or Julio Jones". Ladson is also ready to become a star on the biggest stage. “That’s my goal is to be on the game (Madden) and be on the cover," he noted.

For some athletes, the distance from home can be a big deal and Miami is quite a drive from Clemson, so we wanted to see how his family felt about that topic. 

“I know they would be ok with me going away and them only being able to travel to some games," said Ladson. "I know they would love to see every game but if the best thing for me is to get away, then I’m sure they will be ok with it.”

Lots of schools are coming after him, but Ladson wasn't sure who was hitting him up the most.

“That’s a hard question. It’s a lot of different schools. I was actually just talking about it earlier with my coach that nine different coaches texted me this morning.

“Some schools, they are pressuring me. But others, they want me to take my time, pick my favorites, and make sure I pick the right school and make sure that’s where I want to go.”

Ladson has yet to visit Clemson but plans to be there soon. In terms of visits, the 185-pounder told us, "The only thing I have planned right now is the spring game.”

At this point, Clemson's reach is larger than it has ever been and players all across the country know the brand giving the paw incredible reach.

“We know them because they’re winning. They’ve been winning for the last couple of years. They’ve been in the playoff. So that’s big. They want to play on the biggest stage and that’ll bring the best out of you.”

In terms of his top schools, he hasn't put together an "official" list, but the Dade County star told us what he liked about Clemson, “I love being around the staff, the guys at school. Number one, the academics. Coach Swinney graduating 172 of his 177 players, that’s big. So you know you will get your degree if you go there. Then you know Jeff Scott and his receiver U.”