College football’s transfer portal is buzzing after opening this week.
More than 1,000 FBS players have reportedly gone into the portal since it officially opened Monday. And with players having 45 days to enter it before the portal window closes in January, expect plenty of other moving parts nationwide over the next month and a half.
Clemson, for example, has already had nine players officially enter the portal while the Tigers have yet to add any transfers of their own. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is notoriously picky about pursuing players in the portal – Clemson has brought in just two transfers since the NCAA adopted its one-time transfer rule in 2020 – but here are five positions that the Tigers could target in the portal based on need and other circumstances:
Receiver
Clemson’s passing game is going on two seasons now without a true go-to receiver. The closest thing the Tigers have to that this season happens to be a true freshman, Antonio Williams.
Williams, who has a team-high 53 catches, looks like a budding star at the slot position, but the Tigers are missing a consistent, explosive complement on the outside. It’s been a sore spot in Clemson’s offense since Tee Higgins left for the NFL following the 2019 season.
Joseph Ngata was supposed to be next in line there, but the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder has battled injuries and inconsistency throughout his career. As a senior, he may also elect not to return next season (Ngata still has a COVID year he could use if he chooses). Beaux Collins, who had five touchdown catches and averaged 17 yards per reception this season, has shown flashes of his potential at times, but injuries have slowed him down as well.
Adam Randall is a big-bodied freshman the coaching staff continues to be high on, but don’t be surprised if the Tigers look to the portal for an immediate-impact receiver or two.
Linebacker
Clemson may very well be in line for some significant turnover at the second level of its defense for the second straight year.
While Trenton Simpson is only a junior, the Tigers’ star linebacker is widely regarded as one of the top draft-eligible players at the position for the NFL next year. Should he decide to leave school early as expected, that would potentially leave a significant void to fill at the Will position. Clemson’s do-it-all ‘backer is second on the team with 72 tackles and also has three pass breakups and five quarterback hurries.
Potentially is a word used here, though, because Clemson has an even more athletic ‘backer it could move over to take Simpson’s place in Barrett Carter, who filled in at Will earlier this season when Simpson missed a game with an injury. That seems like the most likely scenario, but if that happens, then the Tigers will need a new starter at the Sam/nickel spot.
Do Clemson’s coaches think freshman Wade Woodaz is ready for that role? Woodaz, who’s been the backup there, has enough athleticism to play that spot. He split his reps between safety and linebacker in the ACC championship.
Clemson also has two other ‘backers that have hit the portal in Sergio Allen and LaVonta Bentley, one of the Tigers’ top backups this season. So the Tigers’ experience at the position is taking a hit beyond the top of the depth chart.
Defensive line
This all depends on how the NFL Draft affects things up front for Clemson, but there’s a chance the Tigers are looking at an overhaul on the defensive line.
Of the starting front four, K.J. Henry, Myles Murphy and Tyler Davis will be gone. Defensive tackles Bryan Bresee, another potential first-rounder is still working on his decision.
The same goes for backups Justin Mascoll and Ruke Orhorhoro, who’s already accepted a Senior Bowl invite, as well as Xavier Thomas. Though he’s already a fifth-year senior, Thomas has yet to redshirt and played in just four games this season before reaggravating his foot injury, allowing him to do so if he chooses.
Even if Clemson ends up losing just a few of them, that’s still a lot of production and experience walking out the door. Henry, Bresee, Davis and Murphy are all multi-year starters while Murphy has led the team in sacks the last two seasons. Mascoll is in his fifth year with the program.
One player that might’ve been in line to take over as a starter on the edge next season was Kevin Swint, but he entered the portal earlier this week. The Tigers have some promising youngsters at the position (assuming they stick around), but this feels like a spot that could use some help replenishing from the portal.
Offensive line
Jordan McFadden recently won the Jacobs trophy, which is annually awarded to the ACC’s top blocking offensive lineman. But with McFadden being a fifth-year senior, Clemson is set to lose its best offensive lineman, who just happens to play a premier position at left tackle.
So if there’s a spot on the 2023 roster that could use a plug-and-play type out of the portal, this is it. At least in theory.
Clemson has some young potential replacements, most notably freshman Tristan Leigh. Yet the former blue-chip recruit has played sparingly in his first two seasons with the Tigers. There’s always the possibility of flipping fellow freshman tackle Blake Miller over to the left side and inserting Leigh as the starting right tackle, but if that’s not something Clemson wants to do — and if coaches decide Leigh isn’t ready to take over on the left — a portal infusion could be the answer.
It will also be interesting to see what approach the Tigers take with the rest of a line that’s remaining intact for now. Will Putnam (guard to center) and Walker Parks (tackle to guard) played new positions this season. The transition was seemingly a smooth one for a group that was much improved this season, but will Clemson want to move those two back to their more natural positions? Or do the Tigers want to avoid messing with a good thing?
The answer could dictate the extent of the Tigers’ portal activity up front.
Quarterback
Clemson’s offense ushered in a new era when Cade Klubnik took over for D.J. Uiagalelei early in the ACC championship game. Klubnik will now get his first career start in the Orange Bowl while Uiagalelei is looking for his next school in the portal.
Safe to say Klubnik is QB1 heading into the 2023 season. At the moment, Clemson has two other scholarship signal callers (Hunter Helms and five-star high school recruit Christopher Vizzina) set to join him in next season’s quarterback room, but none of them have played more than 50 snaps in college.
In other words, Clemson still has decent numbers at the position, but there’s not much game experience on next season’s roster for the time being. Might the Tigers try to change that by exploring the portal for a more seasoned backup?
There’s some precedent with that under Swinney, who just last year brought back former Clemson signee Hunter Johnson from Northwestern as an insurance policy behind Uiagalelei and Klubnik. That was also a unique situation that will be difficult to replicate since most if not all of the quarterbacks in the portal want to go somewhere that offers them the opportunity to start from day one.
It’s now Klubnik’s job to lose at Clemson, but there are no guarantees. After all, it’s the Tigers who were just reminded that having a five-star talent at the most important position on the field doesn’t always equate to consistent production.
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