Clemson football, soccer signee Tanner Tessmann signs pro deal with MLS team FC Dallas
Tanner Tessmann’s career as a soccer and football player at Clemson appears to be over before it had a chance to begin.
Tessmann signed a pro contract with FC Dallas of Major League Soccer, the club announced Thursday, and could start for the club when it hosts the Philadelphia Union for the season opener Saturday.
Tessmann — a 6-foot-2, 190-pound midfielder from Hoover, Alabama — played for FC Dallas U-19 Academy last year.
In December, football coach Dabo Swinney said Tessmann would play both soccer and football for Clemson and arrive on campus in June. He signed a scholarship with the soccer program, but also would have counted as a football scholarship per NCAA rules.
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Tessmann, who is Swinney's godson, did not play high school football, but booted a 65-yard field goal during Swinney’s summer camp last year. Tessmann's father, P.J., is a longtime friend of Swinney's and runs the coach's All-In Foundation.
“This guy is an amazing athlete – I mean amazing,” Swinney said when discussing Tessmann on the first day of the early signing period last December. “He is a potential Deshaun Watson-type guy for soccer. To have the opportunity to have a guy who can come and play both sports and do it at such a high level is unbelievable.
“He’s going to be special, especially when he gets here and we really start working on his craft. He can kick it left-footed, right-footed, however far you need him to kick it. He can punt it, he can kick off. He’s just a raw guy when it comes to kicking the football because he’s always been kicking the soccer ball.”
Tessman is the 28th homegrown player in FC Dallas history. He's under contract with the team through the 2022 season, with club options for 2023 and 2024.
Scott Keepfer covers all things Clemson sports. Follow him on twitter @scottkeepfer.