Top-5 quarterback has Clemson in final six schools.

Four-star quarterback Kingston Preyear has narrowed his recruitment down to six schools, and Clemson football made the cut alongside Auburn, Alabama, Florida, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt.

Preyear is a 6-foot-4, 200-pound quarterback from Alexander City, Alabama, and plays at Benjamin Russell. Rivals lists him as an elite prospect and one of the top quarterbacks in the 2028 class, He is a young quarterback with size, movement ability, and enough arm talent to already have some major programs chasing him.

Auburn is viewed as the early favorite on Rivals, with Alabama and Florida also sitting near the top of his recruitment. Clemson being in that group gives the Tigers a shot, but this is not exactly a soft field. Preyear’s final six is loaded with SEC programs, plus Notre Dame, which makes this feel like a recruitment where Clemson will need to stay aggressive if it wants to seriously climb.

Preyear is described as an athletic signal caller who hunts big plays, moves well in the pocket, and can slip away from pressure. He is still developing as a decision maker, which is normal for a 2028 quarterback, but the tools are already there. His report also notes easy exit velocity and flashes of touch on deep throws, which is the kind of combination coaches are going to bet on early.

As a freshman in 2024, Preyear helped Montgomery Catholic capture an Alabama 5A state title, starting nine games and finishing with a 9-0 record. He completed 94 of 135 passes for 1,787 yards with 20 touchdowns and only two interceptions, according to his 247Sports scouting report. That is a pretty ridiculous first year résumé for a quarterback who still has multiple high school seasons ahead of him.

He is also a multi-sport athlete, with basketball, baseball and track in his background. That usually matters with young quarterback evaluations because it points to overall athletic ability. His track marks listed by 247Sports include a 56.79 in the 400-meter dash, a 5-foot-2 high jump and an 18-foot-1 long jump as a ninth grader.