When the Clemson University football team walks down the Hill of Memorial Stadium this Saturday against the University of North Carolina, Ryan Jewel will still get chills of the gameday tradition, as if he were back on campus.
Yes, the Tigers may not be in the same national-title conversation they were a few years back, but the singer and 2013 Clemson grad, still refers to his four years at the school as the “building blocks” of what was to come. Between quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence (2018–2020, one championship, one runner-up) and Deshaun Watson (2014–2016, one championship, one runner-up), Clemson won two ‘chip in four CFP National Championship appearances.
“I was there during the building block phase that led to the Trevor Lawrence era,” he says. “Tajh Boyd was QB, we had guys like Sammy Watkins, Martavis Bryant, Mike Williams, Stephone Anthony, Spencer Shuey, Travis Blanks, Vic Beasley, Grady Jarrett. We had some straight-up studs in that class.”
As the team was still settling into the Dabo Swinney era in the early 2010s, Jewel was quietly building his own local legacy as one of the top singers on the campus club circuit. From bars to frat and sorority parties to Tiger tailgates on Saturday afternoons, Jewel learned how to handle loud, boisterous crowds long before he ever hit a Nashville stage.
“The atmosphere at Clemson is absolutely something you need to experience for yourself,” Jewel says. “It’s electric, especially if we’re playing a big rival or a ranked team. The crowd noise inside Death Valley is deafening but it definitely prepped me for crowd noise elsewhere. Unless you’re standing next to a jet engine, you won’t find anywhere louder.”
More than a decade later, the singer is now making a name for himself in Nashville. The Virginia-born artist recently released his second album, Barrel Full of Whiskey, produced by ACM Award-winning multi-instrumentalist Ilya Toshinskiy. Jewel calls the 12-track set “a true snapshot of the journey I’ve been on… and where I’m going next.”
And while he honed his craft on campus, his degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology helped shape how he handles his nutrition through the grind of songwriting and performing. He still carries a Tiger mentality into the weightroom, a mindset that’s kept him lean, durable, and road-ready.
“Be the hardest worker in the room,” the “Live that Long” singer says. “Be familiar with your body; know your limitations but continuously try to push those limits.”
A Tigers Mindset Is Helping Ryan Jewel Build His Own Dynasty
“Keep your mind just as strong as your body,” Jewel says as he reflects on how those teams of the early 2010s helped influence on his mindset. “Real food equals real nutrition. Rest when you can, and prioritize downtime and sleep. And hydrate, a lot.”
These days, with a full schedule that includes recording, songwriting and traveling for each performance, that football philosophy is mapped in his training schedule. At minimum, Jewel aims for at least three to four days a week bro-split. “I stick to the push, pull, and legs routine to hit every muscle group at least once a week,” he says.
Never neglected, he says, is the maintenance work that keeps his mobility on point come showtime. “I also prioritize stretching and staying loose—hat’s a daily thing for me, he says. “I have bad knees, a torn-up shoulder, and a finicky lower back so if I don’t stay limber, my body lets me know immediately.”
Staying Fit for Songwriting—and the Stadium Too
Lately, Jewel has expanded his football stadium résumé beyond Clemson. Last September, he was asked to sing the national anthem before the Green Bay Packers’ home game against the Detroit Lions. Getting the opportunity to perform on one of football’s most hallowed grounds was an experience the lifelong fan won’t ever forget.
“Singing at Lambeau was absolutely awesome—a dream come true, really,” the “Same Town, Different Bar” singer says. “The flyover was timed perfectly. The Green Bay Packers organization is so classy and top-notch, too. They treated us like royalty while we were there and their fans are so welcoming and hospitable. Fingers crossed, I’ll be back up there soon!”
Performing on big stages in front of large and rabid fans like those at Lambeau demand steady streams of stamina and focus, and for the indie artist, those types of physical and mental fitness feed directly into his songwriting. For Jewel, who is also an avid outdoorsman, fitness and overall well-being have become critical complements to his creativity. “The gym and the outdoors are two of my mental releases for everything,” he says. “The gym stimulates my body and leaves me feeling accomplished and the outdoors quiets everything in my head and refocuses my mind. They’re both an absolute necessity for my well-being.”
At the same time, Jewel doesn’t force a rigid writing schedule; instead, he lets the work—and the workouts—be the guide for what he ideas he puts to paper, then to music. “I don’t have a regular routine. When it happens it happens, just like the song ideas, they’ll come to me randomly,” he says. “For some reason, the midnight quiet, paired with a glass of bourbon, has the potential to bring out all the good ideas and noise in my head.”
View this post on Instagram
RYAN JEWEL UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
- Oct. 9: Middleburg, VA, Red Horse Tavern
- Oct. 10: Edinburg, VA, Wolf Gap Vineyard and Winery
- Oct. 23: Flint Hill, VA, The Dark Horse Irish Gastro Pub
- Oct. 24: Ranson, WV, Charlestown Moose Lodge
- Nov. 6: Front Royal, VA, On-Cue Sports Bar & Grill
- Nov. 14: Gainesville, VA, Craftworx Taproom
- Nov. 20: Jeffersonton, VA, Death Ridge Brewery
- Nov. 28: Strasburg, VA, Box Office Brewery
- Dec. 4: Flint Hill, VA, The Dark Horse Irish Gastro Pub
- Dec. 17: Woodstock, VA, Woodstock Brewhouse
- Dec. 19: Maurertown, VA, North Mountain Vineyard and Winery
- Dec. 19: Strasburg, VA, Box Office Brewery
- Dec. 20: Warrenton, VA, Molon Lave Vineyards and Winery