2024 top-100 TE Christian Bentancur commits to Clemson: 'It felt like home'

Following a visit to Oregon in the spring, Woodstock (Ill.) Marian Central Catholic four-star tight end Christian Bentancur thought he would be a Duck. Everything changed once he received an offer from Clemson at a camp in the summer.

Bentancur went back to the Tigers on Nov. 12 and immediately felt “at home.” He then returned to Oregon the next week to see if Clemson remained his favorite, and it did. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound pass catcher made the news official Friday by announcing his commitment to the Tigers over Ohio State and Oregon.

“They’ve just been showing so much love and all the recruiting, they’ve been going crazy,” Bentancur told On3. “I went there for the game and the game day experience was just like no other. The love they showed was not even close. The fans, the atmosphere, the light show, everything was just great. All the coaches showing love and stuff like that and the facilities, just everything, it felt like home.”

Head coach Dabo Swinney and his staff have only offered two tight ends in the 2024 cycle: Bentancur and Charlotte (N.C.) Charlotte Catholic four-star Jack Larsen, who is committed to Notre Dame. As a result, the Illinois native knows having a Clemson offer is significant. He is already looking forward to suiting up for the Tigers.

“I’ve always known about Clemson,” said Bentancur, the No. 96 overall prospect and No. 4 tight end in the 2024 On3 Consensus. “I haven’t been the biggest fan, but I’ve always been like, ‘This place is elite. It’s just different from everywhere else.’ Hopefully, I can get there and we can build a dynasty.”

Bentancur is close with multiple Clemson coaches

According to Bentancur, Clemson was different from other schools because of how passionately the Tigers’ coaches recruited him. The four-star still remembers how excited Swinney and tight ends coach Kyle Richardson were when he told them he was committing to the Tigers.

“Obviously college football’s a business, but (Swinney’s) such a family guy, big on his faith too and I love that, that he’s not always worried about football,” Bentancur said. “Obviously, that’s No. 1, but he’s still got families in his mind that he always wants to talk to and get to know. He’s a very family-oriented person that is great to have conversations with. He’s just a down-to-earth coach that anyone would want to get to know. Every talk I’ve had with him is great. The first time talking with him was a little nerve-racking because (it’s) coach Swinney obviously… he’s super famous. Just getting to talk to him more is just talking to another guy.”

Bentancur also has a close bond with Richardson. He believes that the longtime Clemson assistant can help elevate his game in college.

“I’ve talked to him probably every week, every other week since that camp in June,” Bentancur said. “We hit it off since the start. He’s very good at making tight ends because he’s got one in the draft this year and then he’s got another guy about to go to the draft next year. He’ll be a three-year guy, so they’ve had a lot of success with their tight ends and he’s really also big on family and big on loving me like a son and stuff like that and making sure to take care of me.”