NFL star Rob Gronkowski reflects on his wild Clemson football recruiting visit
Before setting league records and putting together a Hall of Fame career as a NFL tight end, Rob Gronkowski was a coveted high school football recruit.
And he lived it up while visiting Clemson.
Gronkowski, the former Patriots and Buccaneers star who’s now retired and working as a studio analyst for Fox Sports, reminisced on his December 2006 official visit to Clemson during an episode of “The Ryen Russillo Podcast” released Wednesday.
Gronkowski, at the time, was a four-star Woodland (Pa.) High School tight end recruit in the Class of 2006 considering Clemson, Ohio State, Syracuse and Arizona as potential schools.
“My Clemson visit, I went absolutely H.A.M. at,” Gronkowski said on the podcast. “Bless them for even hosting me that weekend. I mean, they probably thought I was the biggest idiot of all time, which was true. At that time, I sure was.”
The Tigers, coached by Tommy Bowden, were coming off an 8-5 season and set to play Tennessee in the Music City Bowl when they hosted Gronkowski for an official visit as he narrowed down his college choice. His player host was backup quarterback Tribble Reese.
Following his visit, Gronkowski, the nation’s No. 102 recruit, told the website SportsTalkSC that Clemson was a “wonderful, sweet program,” according to a story published Dec. 8, 2006.
“It was a lot better than I thought it would be,” Gronkowski told the site. “I was very impressed with the coaches and facilities. I had a wonderful time. They told me how they are going to use me and everything. I would be playing right away, but of course I’ve (got) to work for it.”
Gronkowski, 34, shed a little more light on extracurricular activities during his pre-Christmas official visit on Wednesday’s podcast appearance.
“I was having too good of a time,” he said with a laugh. “I was drinking all the water they got down there in Clemson. It was great water.”
Gronkowski, the No. 4 tight end recruit in his class, ended up committing to Arizona that January. He was a Freshman All-American with the Wildcats in 2007 and a Third Team All-American in 2008, setting numerous school receiving records.
Even after missing his entire junior season at Arizona with a back injury, “Gronk” went No. 42 overall to the Patriots in the second round of 2009 NFL Draft.
A longtime favorite target of quarterback Tom Brady, Gronkowski finished his 11-year career as a five-time Pro Bowler and four-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots and the Buccaneers and still holds the NFL’s single-season receiving touchdown record for a tight end (17 in 2011).
Gronkowski retired (for good) in June 2022 and now works as a studio analyst for Fox Sports NFL studio shows, among other media and entertainment gigs.
The Athletic, in June 2023, deemed Gronkowski one of the biggest “what-ifs” in Clemson football recruiting history, considering who he could’ve played with had he committed to a program featuring a young Dabo Swinney as receivers coach and recruiting coordinator.
“Can you imagine what it might have been like had Gronk played at Clemson at the same time as (C.J.) Spiller?” the website asked.
