Lee County’s Carter Blackwell commits to Clemson

LEESBURG — Before Christmas, Carter Blackwell had three scholarship offers and plenty of uncertainty about where his football future might lead.

Five months later, the rising Lee County Trojans football senior is headed to one of college football’s premier programs.

Blackwell, a 6-foot-4, 224-pound tight end rated as a three-star prospect and the No. 42 overall recruit in Georgia by 247Sports, announced Tuesday that he has committed to play college football at Clemson University.

The commitment capped a whirlwind recruiting rise that saw Blackwell’s offer list explode from three schools before Christmas to 27 by the spring, including offers from Miami, Florida State, North Carolina, Duke and Central Florida.

“My recruitment really started blowing up this spring,” Blackwell said. “I think I got six offers in two days. I started putting my film out there a little more, and Coach Fabrizio helped me by putting in a good word for me with these coaches. I had coaches texting me, and I was picking up a lot of offers.”

Before announcing his decision Tuesday, Blackwell narrowed his choices to Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, Florida State, Miami and Central Florida.

In the end, he said Clemson offered far more than football.

“At Clemson it’s more than just about football,” Blackwell said. “Clemson supports the player, the family, the education and the faith. That was really important to me. Because for me it’s more than football. I think Clemson will help me become the man that I want to be.”

Blackwell said he plans to major in business or agribusiness at Clemson while possibly pursuing a minor in finance or mathematics.

Lee County head coach Dean Fabrizio said Clemson is getting far more than just a talented athlete.

“I’m really excited for Carter,” Fabrizio said. “Clemson is getting not only a great player, but a great person as well.”

Blackwell’s commitment is the latest sign that Lee County remains one of Georgia’s premier football pipelines. The Trojans are loaded with Division I prospects entering the 2026 season and are expected to once again rank among the state’s top teams when summer workouts begin June 1.

Despite the recruiting attention now surrounding him, Blackwell said his focus remains squarely on helping lead Lee County through what could be a special season.

“My goal is to lead my brothers to be the best we can be, on the field and in the classroom,” Blackwell said. “I want to push my teammates to be their very best so that we can have a successful season.”

As for his own offseason goals, Blackwell said he continues working to improve one thing every high-level football player covets — speed.

“I want to be faster, because usually the faster guy wins,” Blackwell said. “If I can beat that defensive lineman off the ball, I have a better chance.”

But after a recruiting rise that carried him from three scholarship offers before Christmas to Clemson by spring, Blackwell already understands that success requires more than speed alone.

For Lee County’s newest Clemson commit, the path forward is about football, faith, education and becoming the kind of leader he believes his teammates — and his future program — can count on.

Carter is the son of Whitney and James Blackwell of Leesburg.