Virginia defender commits to Clemson. He details when that decision crystallized

Phil Kornblut
·3 min read

Four-star safety Sherrod Covil of Chesapeake, Virginia announced a commitment Thursday to Clemson.

Covil (6-0, 185) made the announcement in Atlanta at a Rivals camp. He chose the Tigers over Southern Cal, Virginia, Penn State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Virginia Tech, Alabama, Auburn, Maryland and Michigan. He’s ranked the No. 11 safety nationally in the 247Sports Composite.

Covil was at Clemson last weekend for the Tigers’ Elite Retreat, and if his mind wasn’t made up going in, he knew coming out where he planned to play collegiately.

“It was actually really cool, and I ended up making some bonds with a few of them early,” Covil said of other recruits he met at Clemson. “And a few of them told me that they were ready to commit and I should commit, too. I really just wanted to get down there to check it out or to basically find a reason not to go to Clemson, because that was always my dream school. So I just wanted to see what it was going to be like. And it was just even better than I expected.”

Clemson has done well recruiting Virginia in recent years, especially for the secondary. Having some home-staters already in the program made it just that much easier for Covil to choose Clemson.

“I know some of the players down there. I know Malcolm Greene. I know Sheridan Jones,” Covil said. “So, yeah, that’s some Virginia dudes, I know them. I actually talked to them and was getting together with them while I was there. So that was cool, too. So whenever I end up going there, I’ll already have some people I know. I am not just going to go in there like I don’t know anybody.”

Covil said after experiencing everything Clemson had to offer over the weekend, he saw no reason to drag out his recruiting any longer.

“What made me go ahead and commit is pretty much the whole retreat, the whole thing. Because I was telling you, I just wanted a reason not to commit, because it was already my dream since I was in eighth grade,” Covil said. “So I was really just looking for a reason not to commit and they didn’t give me no reason not to. I had to go ahead and pull that trigger.

“And how it happened was, after everything was over, said, and done on Saturday, after everybody had left, they had told me to stay back. And then I went in there and I talked to Coach Swinney and then we had a good conversation. And then that’s just what happened. I knew, I had just knew. I just knew.”

Covil met with head coach Dabo Swinney while at Clemson and, of course, let him know of his plans. He also had a good conversation with safeties coach Mickey Conn.

“They told me the same things they’ve been telling me all along, which is a good sign,” Covil said. “They showed me how I fit in the defense, and the different roles I could play in the defense when I get there.”

Covil is commitment No. 6 for Clemson’s 2022 class. The Tigers also are on commitment watch for Friday for cornerback Toriano Pride of St. Louis. He also was in for the Elite Retreat.

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