Dutch Fork star RB Jarvis Green, fresh off Clemson offer, reopens recruitment

Jarvis Green is reopening his recruitment less than two weeks before college football’s early signing period with a new — and notable — frontrunner.

Green, the star running back who led Dutch Fork High School to a Class 5A state championship last weekend, decommitted from James Madison on Friday afternoon less than 12 hours after announcing a scholarship offer from Clemson.

Green said in a Twitter post that “I would like to thank the coaches and staff at JMU for treating me like family and for the time and effort they put into recruiting me. However, after discussing recent events with my family, I have decided to decommit from James Madision University and reopen my recruitment. Please respect my decision.”

Green described Clemson as his “dream school” in an interview with On3 and coveted an offer from the Tigers, who just won their seventh ACC championship in eight years and are 11-2 entering the Dec. 30 Orange Bowl against Tennessee.

His patience paid off Thursday night. Per a report from On3Sports, Tigers coach Dabo Swinney called Green, a three-star 2023 recruit who’d been committed to JMU since August, and issued an offer four days after junior running back Kobe Pace entered the transfer portal.

With Pace transferring and Clemson without a running back commitment this cycle, the Tigers were down to four scholarship RBs in 2023: top contributors Will Shipley and Phil Mafah, and seldom-used backups on Domonique Thomas and Keith Adams Jr.

Tom Knotts, Green’s Dutch Fork coach, publicly campaigned for Clemson and South Carolina to offer Green during a standout senior season in which he rushed for 2,272 yards (9.8 yards per carry) and 33 touchdowns in 13 games.

Green had 290 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns in Dutch Fork’s 47-10 win over Fort Dorchester in the Class 5A state championship game on Dec. 3. He finished his senior season with 3,075 total yards and 41 touchdowns and leaves Dutch Fork with the second most career rushing yards and touchdowns in school history.

Green is also one of seven finalists for the prestigious South Carolina Mr. Football Award, an honor given to the top public school high school football senior football player in the state based on performance on and off the field.

The winner will be announced during halftime of Saturday’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl in Myrtle Beach.

Green is the No. 23 player in the state and the No. 80 running back in the class of 2023, according to 247Sports composite rankings. He’d been verbally committed to James Madison, which competes in the FBS Sun Belt Conference, since Aug. 22.

JMU and App State both had in-home visits with Green on Wednesday before Clemson and Virginia Tech offered him Thursday night. Green now holds three 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions to commit to Clemson, which has the No. 9 recruiting class in the nation ahead of the Dec. 21-23 early signing period.

Due to Green’s class schedule at Dutch Fork, he won’t enroll early in January at whatever college he chooses and will instead join that program next summer.

If Green commits to Clemson, it would mark the third consecutive recruiting cycle in which the Tigers have landed a Dutch Fork player after bringing on three-star athlete Will Taylor in 2021 and four-star wide receiver Antonio Williams in 2022.

A Green commitment would also mark the third time Clemson’s flipped an in-state recruit this cycle. Three-star D.W. Daniel athlete Misun Kelley and three-star Greenville wide receiver Tyler Brown were verbally committed to Virginia Tech and Minnesota, respectively, before decommitting and choosing Clemson earlier this fall.

The State’s Lou Bezjak contributed reporting.