Banks Pope had been committed to Appalachian State since last June and was getting ready to sign with the Mountaineers in mid-December.
But two days before the start of the early signing period on Dec. 16, Clemson came calling with a preferred walk-on offer for Pope, and it presented a dream opportunity that the local tight end prospect from A.C. Flora High School couldn’t pass up.
“I was going to sign with App State on Wednesday (Dec. 16), and Clemson called me out of the blue on Monday and offered me a PWO, and it didn’t take very long for me to decide that’s what I wanted to do, growing up a Clemson fan, always wanting to go there,” Pope said.