Peach State standout highlights 'family' and academics after visit to Clemson
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Clemson welcomed many recruits last week for head coach Dabo Swinney’s Football Camp starting on June 2 with Session 1 and will continue until Session 6 on June 11. On Sunday, one of the top recruits in the 2024 class traveled to Clemson from Atlanta to attend Session 4, and he enjoyed it.
"I definitely enjoyed the camp-- and the visit-- hands down," Hevin Brown-Shuler (Pace Academy, GA) told Clemson Sports Talk. "It was more so what they seem to stand for, and that is the word, 'Family.'
Brown-Shuler had never been to Clemson before Sunday's camp, but the Peach State resident is no stranger to the state of South Carolina.
"I was born in South Carolina," Brown-Shuler said. "My mother is from there. I attended St. John Neumann Catholic."
Just days ago, on June 1, he was back in Columbia for a workout and tour of the South Carolina Gamecocks campus with mom, Meek Brown, who was in Clemson as well.
"Once my mother received her master's degree and a job opportunity - before starting her business - she thought perhaps Georgia was a good fit for us. We left when I was in first grade."
He has fit in nicely athletically in a football talent-laden state. As an eighth-grader, he was a finalist for the 2024 class Youth Outland Trophy Award, presented by Generation Nexxt.
In 2020, Brown-Shuler did not miss a beat on the field as a freshman against varsity competition.
The 6'5, 260-pound defensive tackle was recognized as Freshman of the Year at Pace. He was also named a MaxPreps Freshman All-American and first-team All-Region 6AA. In addition, he received invitations to the 2024 All-American Football Bowl in San Antonio and All-American Game in Orlando.
Despite all the accolades, Brown-Shuler, nicknamed "Hevy Duty" had a humble approach to camp. "I look forward to being a part of the camp and learning new skills," he said shortly after receiving word of his camp invitation. "I’m a rising sophomore. I have many techniques to learn as well as work on, and my efforts to continue to get stronger and become technically savvy are important."
So what did he learn?
"The coaches told me things to work on for improvement as well as things to keep doing that stands out as a great football player for someone of my stature," noted Brown-Shuler. "That meant a lot because I knew I wasn’t there to waste their time nor mine. They told me my get-off, skillset, and body are elite. I was told by the DL Coach that I was just as good, having great potential, as juniors and seniors that were present."
Before his visit, Brown-Shuler acknowledged outside of the football program's six consecutive College Football Playoff appearances, recent national championships, and players like Bryan Bresee, Xavier Thomas, and former quarterback Trevor Lawrence; he knew little about Clemson.
https://twitter.com/HevyDutyBS/status/1401750019607351301
He had, however, done research on a particular area of the school.
"Most importantly, I have looked into their academic programs, which are very strong, to say the least."
Having academics in the forefront and focusing on facets of the program outside of athletics is not surprising because my communication with Brown-Shuler was delayed until he completed final exams. Moreover, he attends Pace, the No. 2 private school in the state, and he is the 2020 recipient of the school's Lance and Shield Award, given to a student who exemplifies leadership on and off the field.
Even in his summation of the visit, academics were on his mind.
"The visit was very well planned on their behalf. They were very attentive to my family and me the entire time," Brown-Shuler said. "Although, I am aware that is done often for recruits as it should be, but once having one on one conversations and learning the history of the school as well as their mission and learning about their program academically as well as athletically, the thought process goes to a higher level regarding and comparing those things to what I like and will look for in a school of higher learning."
Brown-Shuler currently has offers from Arkansas, FSU, Georgia, Georgia Tech, NC State, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, and USC. He is set to visit Alabama (6/19) and USC later this summer.
