Four-Star Safety Includes Clemson in Final Four, Sets Commitment Date

College Football recruiting has started to heat up over the past few weeks, and most recently, a highly sought-after defensive back placed the Clemson Tigers in his final four landing spots while additionally releasing his commitment date.

On Monday afternoon, Halls (Tn.) safety Jarrell Chandler announced his top four of Clemson, Tennessee, Miami and Vanderbilt, as first reported by On3's Hayes Fawcett. Additionally, he announced that he'll make his decision on Monday, May 18.

Chandler is rated a four-star prospect and ranks as the No. 91 overall player, the No. 6 player at his position and the No. 4 player in the state of Tennessee, according to the 2027 Rivals300.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound defensive back fits the mold of what Clemson defensive coordinator Tom Allen wants in his secondary to a tee: big, long and physical. We've mentioned this before with recruits like Brandon 'Slim' Leavell. Even when looking at who the staff has offered, there's a clear point of emphasis on those three factors.

Chandler and the Tigers have been in talks for quite some time now, as his first visit to campus came back in August 2025 for the program's season-opener against LSU. 

However, communication seemed to go stiff for a while, as back in December, the hybrid defender left Clemson off his top 10 list, which included Tennessee, Michigan, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Florida State, among others.

It looked like Allen was looking from the outside in, but once the Tigers offered Chandler in late January, the two parties seemingly got back in good spirits with each other. Since then, he's been back for the Elite Retreat, which occurred on March 7.

With the offer now on the table, the question of where exactly Chandler fits in Allen's defense becomes worth expanding upon. Clemson originally recruited him as a linebacker, but has since shifted its focus to having him play safety. However, the staff still believes he can grow into a linebacker. 

On the other hand, Tennessee is recruiting him for both positions, while Miami has locked in on him strictly as a linebacker. 

The versatility is no accident when you look at what he's put together at Halls High School, either. Over the past three seasons, Chandler has done it all defensively for the Red Devils, racking up 149 tackles, seven for a loss, 15 pass deflections, three interceptions and three forced fumbles. He also showed his offensive chops as a junior, hauling in 42 receptions for 691 yards and seven touchdowns.

As it stands, Tennessee is considered to be the front-runner right now, with the program having quartered him for five unofficial visits — three in March 2026 — since he first received his offer in April 2025. Not to mention, Chandler is a Knoxville native, Halls is a Knoxville school, and it's rare for a prospect of his caliber to bypass his hometown program.

That said, Clemson made one final push before he went public with his timeline, as Allen, defensive passing game coordinator Thomas Allen and safeties coach Nolan Turner all traveled to Knoxville to give Chandler a late presentation Monday morning, per Paul Strelow of Tiger Illustrated.

If it doesn't go Clemson's way next Monday, the Tigers still have options at the position. Top safety target Ta'Shawn Poole has Clemson in his top six, as does former commit Seth Williams, while high four-star Chance Gilbert has the Tigers in his top four. 

The board has enough depth to weather a miss, though a player with Chandler's combination of size, production and two-way versatility isn't easily replaced.

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