Before even playing a snap for Clemson this season, transfer safeties Corey Myrick and Jerome Carter III have nonetheless already made a significant impact for the Tigers in the secondary, according to head coach Dabo Swinney.
Myrick and Carter were brought in via the portal to help beef up a Clemson pass defense that struggled mightily last season, ranking No. 120 nationally in passing yards per game allowed at 251.2.
Myrick and Carter, both third-year players, bring plenty of experience and have produced at their previous stops – Southern Miss and Old Dominion, respectively. During Clemson’s media outing on July 14, Swinney discussed what the two portal safeties bring to the table and how their collective presence has already positively impacted the back end of the defense.
“Maturity. Confidence. … And then just competitiveness,” Swinney said. “These are two all-conference type players, coming from where they’re coming from. Those guys, they’re eager to go prove they can be great at this level, they can be great at Clemson. So, I just think the confidence and the experience that they bring has been awesome. Because it’s what we lost, and so we needed to replace that.”
Khalil Barnes and Ricardo Jones both exited the Clemson program after being mainstays at safety in 2025. Reserve safety Rob Billings also transferred out. But Myrick and Carter are both viewed as upgrades.
“We lost some experience there, but we were able to go and bring in a bunch of experience. Just two really mature guys that they’re just excited to be at Clemson,” Swinney said of Myrick and Carter. “They’re so excited to go and compete for the Tigers. They’ve brought a ton of competition.”
Myrick and Carter, both of whom have two seasons of eligibility remaining, are two of the highest-graded transfer safeties this offseason, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). Myrick (87.3) leads the way as the highest-graded transfer safety in all of college football, per PFF, which also ranks Carter (76.3) as the eighth highest-graded transfer safety.
Myrick played his first college season at Marshall in 2024 and then his second at Southern Miss in 2025. He arrived at Clemson credited with 95 tackles (4.5 for loss), four pass breakups, two interceptions and a forced fumble in 21 games (12 starts). As a sophomore, he posted 92 tackles — third-most on the Southern Miss squad — with 4.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and a forced fumble in 13 games (12 starts).
According to PFF, Myrick allowed only one touchdown in 384 coverage snaps last season, with a 53.7 passer rating allowed and a coverage grade of 86.2.
Meanwhile, Carter played 25 games in his first two college campaigns at Old Dominion from 2024-25, tallying 98 tackles (2.5 for loss), six interceptions and three pass breakups over those two seasons. He earned second-team All-Sun Belt honors as a sophomore last season when he started 12 of 13 games and collected 75 tackles (2.5 for loss), a school-record six interceptions and two pass breakups. His six interceptions tied for second-most in the FBS.
Carter is the son of Jerome Carter Jr., who played defensive back at Florida State from 2001-04 and was a fourth-round selection of the St. Louis Rams in 2005.
“Corey and Jerome have brought some maturity, some experience and some leadership at an area we needed it,” Swinney added.
