Clemson is making an early move on one of the more intriguing names in the 2028 class, and the Tigers appear to be squarely in the mix for Portage, Michigan, athlete Camden Noe.
Noe, a consensus four-star prospect, is drawing attention from a long list of programs, but Clemson has emerged as one of the schools he called one of his “main three,” according to 247Sports’ Tom Loy. Michigan State and Louisville are in that group as well, even though Noe does not yet have an offer from Clemson.
The interest around Noe has picked up quickly. Over the past month, Texas A&M, Florida, Ohio State, Indiana, Georgia, Alabama, Notre Dame and Michigan have all reached out, adding to a recruitment that already includes several major programs. Rivals lists him as the No. 68 overall player in the country, the No. 2 athlete nationally and the No. 5 recruit in Michigan.
Clemson’s connection with Noe goes back to June 2024, when he attended the annual Dabo Swinney Football camp before starting his freshman year at Portage Central High School. At the time, the relationship was still very much in its early stages, but the Tigers were already on his radar.
Noe’s recruitment didn’t take off right away. After his freshman season, he still had no Division I offers.
That changed after he competed in the Sound Mind Sound Body National Showcase at Wayne State in Detroit, where he stood out over a two-day stretch in front of more than 80 colleges. The following week, he picked up his first five Division I offers from Miami (OH), Minnesota, Western Michigan, Toledo and Central Michigan.
From there, the list kept growing. Noe didn’t add any more offers the rest of that summer, but his sophomore season at Portage Central did the talking on the field.
In 13 games, he piled up 235 offensive touches for 2,056 scrimmage yards and 25 total touchdowns as the Mustangs reached the MHSAA Division II playoff semifinals. On defense, he played in only three games but still managed 34 tackles and six for loss.
By the end of the year, he had earned First-team All-Conference, First-team All-Region and All-Area Dream Team honors.
The visits followed. During his sophomore year, Noe took unofficial trips to Minnesota, Indiana and Iowa, and the Hawkeyes offered him during that visit.
This spring, he made stops at Wisconsin, Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State and Indiana, with Wisconsin and Michigan eventually offering. Boston College and Kansas also jumped in, with Boston College offering in late April and Kansas on the first day of June.
June brought another burst of momentum. Noe visited Notre Dame in the first week of the month and left with an offer from the Fighting Irish. He then returned to Michigan State and finally landed a scholarship offer from the Spartans, with Louisville also offering that same day.
Even with all that attention, Clemson still has a real shot. Noe told Loy that the Tigers are one of his “main three,” and he added that the staff plans to come see him play this fall. He has also stayed in regular contact with linebackers coach Ben Boulware.
As for where he fits at the next level, running back is not the plan. Most schools have recruited him for defense, with linebacker and edge rusher both coming up, while tight end has also been floated because of his 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame. Noe told Clemson Tigers on SI on Saturday that Clemson is recruiting him strictly as a linebacker, which is his primary defensive position.
“I primarily played running back for our team last year so I only had three games on defense.” Noe said. “But this year I will be stepping into the middle linebacker role for our team, so I'm looking forward to having a big year!”
That kind of move is not unfamiliar for Clemson. Sammy Brown followed a similar path, starring as a RB/LB at Jefferson High School before settling in as a full-time linebacker after arriving on campus. Another Michigan native, 2027 four-star linebacker Bryce Kish, could also be in the mix by then, giving Clemson a possible future pairing at the position.
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