CALHOUN, Ga. - It may be easy to get lost in the myriad of college football prospects at Calhoun High School, but Baylon Spector is hard to not notice.
Spector, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound junior, is a rare two-way starter on the defending Class AAA champions in addition to being the team's backup quarterback. That versatility - on top of flashing 4.5 speed in the 40-yard dash - caught the eyes of Clemson recruiters and, following a strong summer camp showing, led the Tigers to make an official offer.
Spector, whose father Robbie played at the South Carolina university and whose sister currently attends there, quickly accepted.
"I've been going to Clemson since I was little," said Spector, who starts at safety and receiver for the top-ranked Yellow Jackets. "I'm very comfortable there and I can't wait to get started."
Calhoun coach Hal Lamb hinted that if the Yellow Jackets could afford to let Spector concentrate on one position, his recruitment might have taken off even more than it has.
"We're playing him a lot of places because he's very versatile," Lamb said. "It's not really fair to Baylon with everything we ask him to do, but he's that good. I'm very excited for him because Clemson is a great fit."
Spector is projected to play outside linebacker at Clemson and says the timing will be perfect for early playing time if he's ready.
"It really works out in that they will lose seven seniors the year I graduate here at the Sam position," he said. "It's a great opportunity for me, and they've told me if I'm ready I'll play."
Spector made 71 tackles for a veteran-laden Calhoun defense last year, and he had a big hand in the season's most important play. He threw the winning touchdown pass in the state championship game from a reverse, a play on which Spector improvised after the intended target, quarterback Kaelan Riley, was covered.
"What I remember about that series was that I was really tired, and I had dropped a pass on that series," Spector recalled. "When they called the play I got nervous, and it didn't go as we practiced, but luckily their corner came up and I was able to hit Carson (Brown) for the touchdown. It was crazy."
Spector has received scholarship offers also from Duke, Wake Forest and Georgia Southern, and he joins seniors Riley (Mercer), Landon Rice (Auburn), Jack DeFoor (Ole Miss) and Jireh Wilson (Wofford) as Calhoun's college commitments.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296; follow on Twitter @youngsports22.