Clemson impresses Fulwood

Jacksonville (Fla.) Bishop Kenny junior wide receiver Ahmad Fulwood hit the road this past weekend making his way to Clemson. Needless to say, the trip made an impression.

"It was ridiculous. I had a great time," Fulwood said. "It was a really nice place to be. It is a great college town. You have to be there to experience it. I just enjoyed it very well."

For the 6-foot-4, 197-pound wideout, the visit began with a bang as he was immediately welcomed by his primary recruiter.

"When I got there me and Coach (Jeff) Scott got to talking and he treated me like I was one of his own," Fulwood said. "The whole staff was great."

The Sunshine State prospect knew a good deal about Clemson prior to the visit, but learned a few things about the University during the visit that really stood out to him.

"I have seen a few other colleges and they try to talk about academics but Clemson proves it with their APR-rate being the best in the country. That shows they are getting it done," Fulwood said. "That was one thing I learned while I was there and is definitely a beneficial fact for them."

One reason for the academic success of Clemson football is the effort put in by the administration and staff to steer their players in the right direction in the classroom.

"I got to go to Vickery Hall which is an academic hall there at the school," Fulwood added. "It is a great place for athletes. I met with their academic people there and one of the guys, he is like their coach for academics there. They have a gameplan for helping to set you up to succeed in the classroom. It was just unreal."

The visit also included a 31-28 nail-biter of a victory for Dabo Swinney's team over Wake Forest. The victory helped Clemson to claim their second ACC Atlantic Division title in a three-year span.

"Wake Forest is a really, really good football team," Fulwood said of the game. "A lot of people don't give them the credit they deserve. Clemson prevailed and had a good fourth quarter comebacker. They made some real big plays to come back and win it. Chandler (Catanzaro) came through with a big field goal to win it. It was a really good game."

During the game, Fulwood paid close attention to the Clemson passing attack and how their receivers were utilized.

"Coach Scott told me before the game to keep an eye on six (DeAndre Hopkins) and 18 (Jaron Brown) all game," Fulwood said. "I kept my eye on them because he said those would be the spots that I would play if I came to Clemson. Hopkins made some really good plays in the game and so did Brown, he made some critical plays for them. So I definitely liked how they were used in the offense. I like what they do with their receivers."

While on campus, Fulwood had an opportunity to meet and speak with a number of the players.

"I got to talk to Sammy Watkins, Martavis Bryant, DeAndre Hopkins, Charone Peake - some really good players and wide receivers," Fulwood said. "We talked about how it is at Clemson. They said that Clemson is a small town and that if you are looking for parties and a life like that, it isn't Clemson, Clemson is real small, cool, chill town. They talked about how football isn't the number one thing, graduating and getting a good degree is a huge thing up there."

According to Fulwood, his time at Clemson definitely gave the Tigers - who are one of more than a dozen teams to extend an early offer - an upper-hand with him early on in his recruitment.

"It definitely improved them," Fulwood said of Clemson's chances of landing his eventual signature. "I have been to some colleges, but I enjoyed Clemson a lot. They had told me I needed to get there for a gameday and after seeing it, I know why. It taught me a lot about them. It isn't just about the 14 games they could play during the season, academics are always first there. That is a big deal to me."

As for upcoming plans, the junior wideout said he plans to visit Florida in two weeks when they host Florida State.