Tom Allen made it pretty clear on multiple occasions during the season that he was going to upgrade the Clemson defense through the transfer portal. Particularly the secondary.
“Being able to obviously address that through the portal, I just think that is an obvious thing we are going to need to do at multiple positions,” the Tigers’ defensive coordinator said just before the Pinstripe Bowl loss to Penn State.
“I do see us doing that, obviously. At certain positions more than others. I do see us being able to maximize that. We want to improve our roster to put us in a position to play the way I want us to play, both structurally and attitude-wise, and mindset-wise.”
With the portal opening last Friday, Allen and his defensive staff have been busy. Not only have a number of targets already rolled through campus for visits, but Clemson has already landed four portal players, one more than the Tigers took all of last offseason.
And all four of those players have come on the defensive side of the ball. Which shouldn’t be all that surprising, seeing how that’s where the biggest needs reside.
The backend of the defense was one of the bigger weaknesses throughout the season, ranking a dismal 118th nationally is passing yards allowed. It was an area that needed to be addressed no matter what, but with a starting corner leaving early for the NFL and two starting safeties hitting the portal, that secondary suddenly had some massive holes.
Three of the first four portal takes have been defensive backs. The most recent to jump on board was Auburn transfer corner Donovan Starr, whom Clemson targeted coming out of high school. He ranked No. 136 overall as a member of the 2025 class.
Starr gives the Tigers another high-quality corner to pair with veteran Ashton Hampton and Branden Strozier, who really started to come into his own over the final stretch of the season. Starr is listed at 5-foot-11, and he has some length and can move. Two things the defense needed at corner.
The Tigers recruited Starr out of high school, so the staff has always been high on him. He didn’t see a ton of time during his debut season at Auburn. Most of his action came on special teams. However, he has a high ceiling and he has three more seasons of eligibility.
Penn State transfer cornerback Elliot Washington II is one of the big gets for the Tigers. While he has only started one game over his three seasons with the Nittany Lions, he’s seen the field a lot, appearing in 36 games. One of his biggest traits is his versatility. He can probably play corner and/or nickel.
Another asset is his speed. Washington ran 10.69 100M in high school and that is the kind of speed Clemson needs in that secondary.
Last, but certainly not least, is Old Dominion transfer safety Jerome Carter III. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder was an All-Conference honoree as a sophomore in 2025 after logging 75 total tackles, two pass breakups and six interceptions.
Carter has a nose for the ball and he plays physical. He doesn’t shy away from contact. He brings a toughness that was, at times, missing for the Tigers during the 2025 season.
Three new additions to the secondary just a few days into the portal cycle, and it’s a safe bet Allen isn’t quite done yet. It’s a pretty safe bet Starr won’t be the final defensive back the Tigers take out of the portal.
Photo by Bart Boatwright