How 'under the radar' James Madison commit Jarvis Green landed with Clemson football

Sometimes it pays off to fly under the radar.

Just ask Jarvis Green.

Ignored by Power 5 football programs despite eye-popping statistics as a running back at Irmo’s Dutch Fork High School, Green committed to James Madison prior to his senior season after receiving no offer from Clemson’s Dabo Swinney or South Carolina’s Shane Beamer.

By the end of last fall, he’d rushed for 2,272 yards and 33 touchdowns, including 292 yards of offense and four touchdowns in a 47-10 victory against Fort Dorchester in the Class AAAAA title game on Dec. 3.

“I don’t understand why Dabo and Beamer aren’t over here knocking the doors down,” Dutch Fork coach Tom Knotts said after the game.

Five days later, Clemson came knocking, followed by Virginia Tech.

“I don’t know what took so long,” Green said. “I was coming in game after game and playing my heart out and putting up some crazy numbers. I did feel overlooked because no Power 5 offers were coming in for me, but I knew I had the talent and I never doubted myself.”

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Not as much could be said for the schools that remained unconvinced, which continued to perplex both Green and his coach.

“Why did it take so long for me to get attention? That I can’t answer,” Green said. “I had the stats and everything so I don’t know what took so long.”

But what about Green’s measurables?

Was he too short? Green checks in at 5-foot-11, the same as future teammate Will Shipley.

Was he too light? He tips the scales at 190 pounds, five pounds more than his position coach, C.J. Spiller, when he signed with Clemson in 2006.

Was he too slow? Green has clocked a 4.43-second 40-yard dash.

In the end, that was enough for Swinney. Five days after receiving his offer from Clemson, Green cast his lot with the Tigers.

“I was always a fan of Clemson,” Green said. “Clemson was my dream school.”

Green’s commitment gives Clemson a recruit from Dutch Fork for a third consecutive year. When he enrolls in June, he’ll rejoin former teammates Will Taylor and Antonio Williams.

“Underrated? Oh yeah, definitely,” Williams said of Green. “We’re getting a dog; he’s always been a dog. I could always rely on him at Dutch Fork.

“He’s just a hard runner and a hard worker and you need a guy like that at the running back position. He can catch it out of the backfield. He’s just an all-around good player.”

One of two three-star running backs in Clemson’s Class of 2023 along with Jamarius Haynes of Roanoke, Alabama, Green is excited to get to work under the guidance of Spiller, a former All-American for the Tigers.

“He’s a great coach and a great human being, just a fun person to be around,” said Green, who last month was named Gatorade Football Player of the Year in South Carolina. “I can see myself learning from him for the next four or five years.

“Coach Spiller always told me to just trust the process and it worked out. I was just being patient and waiting my turn because I knew I was good enough for it.”

And how.

“You can’t tackle him,” Knotts said. “You can’t tackle him when he’s on the perimeter.”

Few did. Green amassed 4,608 yards and 78 touchdowns over his career while also making 89 receptions for another 1,202 yards and 11 scores.

It may be a while before Green begins putting up big numbers at Clemson, with juniors Shipley and Phil Mafah firmly entrenched in the top two running back spots, but that doesn’t mean that Green isn’t eager to plunge into the Tigers’ playbook and begin connecting with new offensive coordinator Garrett Riley.

“I’ve talked to him a couple of times,” Green said. “He sounds like a great dude and I know he has a great playbook because what he did at TCU was amazing. He knows what he’s doing. I’m ready to learn the playbook.”

And it won’t be James Madison’s.

“I think it was actually great that I was under the radar,” Green said. “Because it turned out the way I wanted it to.”

Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: How Clemson football landed Dutch Fork RB Jarvis Green