Cole Stoudt Commits To Clemson

Written by Marc Givler of Cap City Preps

Stoudt Picks The Tigers

Things had been quiet for Cole Stoudt and his recruitment over the last two weeks since receiving his Clemson offer. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound quarterback from Dublin Coffman used the time to focus on getting his team into the playoffs and contemplating his collegiate future. On Friday afternoon, Stoudt broke his silence and opted to switch his commitment from Wyoming to the Clemson Tigers. Cap City Preps spoke with Stoudt and his father, Cliff, after Coffman’s 27-9 victory over Upper Arlington on Friday night.

“I called them while I was in school at lunch,” Stoudt said. “I ran into (Athletic Director Tony Pusateri’s) office and called. I called coach (Billy) Napier to let him know and then I didn’t know that you couldn’t commit to the quarterbacks coach so he put (Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney) on the line and he was really excited.”

Though Stoudt had amassed nearly a dozen offers, the decision came down to either sticking with Wyoming, or making the switch to Clemson.

“It was just my gut instinct,” said Stoudt of the decision to make the switch. “Me and my parents had about five two-hour long discussions like almost every night (over the last week) and it was just my gut instinct to pick Clemson. I’m the most comfortable with them and I’m really happy that I made the decision.”

While it was certainly a tough decision for one of Ohio’s top prospects, the Clemson staff really made an impression with Stoudt and his family on the visit to campus two weeks ago, despite being a bit sleep deprived.

“We drove down directly after the Hilliard Davidson game,” Stoudt recalled. “I slept the whole way, it was very uncomfortable in the backseat but it was great. We got there and we went straight to the hotel and slept for about an hour and then we went to the game and we got to go through the Tiger Walk and the atmosphere of the game was huge. There were 80,000 people there, screaming fans, and just the vibe I got from the coaches and players that I hung out with made me realize it was where I wanted to be.”

Stoudt’s father, former NFL quarterback Cliff Stoudt, was equally impressed with the visit.

“They really put on a first class show,” he said. “I’ve always told the kids when they ask me how they will know where they want to go, that you’ll know by the way you get treated by the school. They did everything perfectly. The game was amazing and before the game, they took him out on the field literally during warm-up. I think his favorite part was Sunday morning going into the locker room and they had his locker already setup with the uniforms and his number. It’s an honor to be picked by a program like that.”

One of the major factors that went into the decision was the familiarity that the family has with the area.

“It’s a great school with a great history and ironically Cole was born down there just 25 miles away,” Cliff explained. “It’s kind of like going home. When we went down there a couple of weeks ago, we knew the whole area. We’re just thrilled to death for him to have an opportunity like that.”

While Cole is clearly excited about the decision, it’s also a relief to finally have the process over as he and his teammates prepare for the Ohio High School playoffs starting next Saturday.

“I’m just focusing on Dublin Coffman right now,” he said. “After that, then I’ll focus on Clemson and learning the plays and all of that.”

For Stoudt, the process of familiarizing himself with Clemson’s offense will start in the Spring, as he plans to enroll early in order to participate in spring ball.

“I told (the Clemson coaching staff) that I’m going to be enrolling early,” he explained. “I know that they also have another commit, Tony McNeal, and he’ll also be going in mid-year so we will probably be battling it out for the second spot.”

Stoudt capped off his exciting Friday by breaking the school’s all-time passing yards record by throwing for 323 yards on 21-for-31 with two touchdowns in a big win over Upper Arlington. The game didn’t get off to a great start however, as Coffman found itself in a 9-0 hole in the first half before scoring 27 unanswered points to end the game.

“It’s very exciting,” said Stoudt of the big win on senior night. “We were losing at halftime 9-6 but when we were in the locker room, I was just like, ‘hey let’s pick this up. It’s our senior night and it’s our last home game’. I just got into a rhythm on that first drive (of the second half) and things picked up from there.”

One of the most interesting dynamics in Stoudt’s recruitment is the fact that his old brother Zack is also going through the same process as he is currently at Iowa Western Community College.

“We could have had a chance to go to the same school, Akron, Toledo, or Wyoming,” he said. “I spoke to him right before I decommitted from Wyoming and he said to do whatever was my gut feeling. I just felt that I needed to be there and Z felt the same thing and he was really supportive through the whole recruiting process.”

For now, Stoudt will remain focused on trying to lead his team on a playoff run but once that time is over, he can’t help but be excited about his future at Clemson.

“The thing I’m excited about is just learning more about the game,” he explained. “I know that coach Napier and coach Swinney know a whole lot more than me and I’m just waiting to get that knowledge about the game.”

Stoudt Picks The Tigers