Hurricane Irma led to Clemson taking the lead for Rivals 250 CB

Hurricane Irma did a lot of damage throughout the Southeast early in September. It led to St. Simons Island (Ga.) Frederica Academy having two football games canceled. All around that school on the Georgia coast had to be evacuated last month.

Jaylin Simpson headed north.

He was away from his home for about a week due to the effects of Irma. He spent most of the time in the state of North Carolina, but during his time away, he spent some time at Clemson.

That visit pushed the Tigers to the top of his list.

"It really was all about that visit," said Simpson. "I was there for the Auburn game and it really showed me a lot about the school. I had Florida State and Ohio State on top, but after that visit, Clemson moved up to No. 1 for me."

It was Simpson's first visit to Clemson and the 5-foot-11, 155 pound junior loved it. He saw Clemson battle it out against Auburn for a tough win, and when the game wasn't going on, he got to see a lot more of what Clemson has to offer.

"I knew Clemson was the real deal, but I got to see it with my own two eyes on the visit. The facilities are great and it is a place I could see myself spending a lot of time at.

"The coaches showed me so much love that day. I got to talk with them, get to know them more and they are just great guys. The noise was kind of frightening because it was so loud. It showed me a lot about their fans.

"I got to see the campus, that was nice and it is just a great place. It is just a place I would love to be. To play in front of fans like that, to have a chance to run down the hill and to play for coaches like those — it would be great."

Simpson has already made plans to return. When Clemson hosts Florida State November 11, not only will Simpson be back, but he will have his mother with him this time too. That is important.

His mother will play a role in his decision and that may not be too far off.

"My mind has changed some the last few months going from Florida State to Clemson, so I do not want to rush things, but I think I could commit early next year," said Simpson.

"I am pretty sure by the spring of 2018, at the latest, that I will be committed."

Clemson appears to be in the driver's seat. They sent Jeff Scott, Simpson's recruiting coach to the game at Frederica Academy last week and that meant a lot. The communication is on a different level between Simpson and Clemson and he feels wanted.

That is very important to this four star.

"Clemson has made me feel very wanted. The way they have been recruiting me really shows me something about them. They want to get to know me, they stay in contact with me and over the past month, they have really moved up my list.

"It is a great school and it is the top school for me."

Simpson is teammates with 2019 Rivals 100 athlete JaShawn Sheffield.