CLEMSON – Just three months ago, Jarren Purify was wrapping up a strong summer in Major League Baseball’s Draft League.

The second baseman maintained a .316 batting average and hit four home runs, three doubles and 12 RBI across 18 games for Mahoning Valley Scrapers, using his strong performance to earn a coveted spot in the MLB’s annual Combine.

Purify, fresh off of his junior season of college baseball at Clemson, was doing everything in his power to accomplish a lifelong dream of hearing his name called in the 2026 MLB Draft. 

The quest appeared promising, if not concrete. The odds were certainly in his favor, as nearly 80 percent of the players who participate in the highly-competitive Combine are selected at some point in the draft. 

After being mocked as high as a fifth-round pick, Purify’s fate appeared to be sealed as the July draft crept closer and the summer season came to a close. Fans started to suspect that the Detroit, Mich., native’s time manning the middle infield for the Tigers would be over after three strong seasons.

In the meantime, however, Clemson head coach Erik Bakich was doing everything in his power to get his star back for one more season.

“The top priority would be to retain guys like Jarren Purify,” Bakich said after last season’s conclusion. “Guys that make our program go. Guys that don’t lack anything. Guys that have energy, bring positive energy, have demonstrated leadership skills on the field, toughness on the field, play their ass off and never question how hard they play.”

The MLB Draft came and went.

Though several of his collegiate teammates were selected, Purify’s time never came over the two-day event. According to the infielder, scouts wanted to see Purify play a full, healthy season and increase his overall production before taking him with one of just a few prized picks.

 And just like that, the Tigers’ spark-plug decided to come back to play his senior year at Clemson.

“It was definitely a stressful summer,” Purify said. “I was chasing my dream. I was playing in the MLB Draft League. I was doing really well there. I came back in July, started working out again, trying to figure out what was going to happen for me, what were the next steps for me. And unfortunately, it wasn’t the MLB, not yet. It’s in God’s plan.”

Purify’s mindset did not come overnight.

The process produced anxiety for Clemson’s 2026 batting average leader. The idea of coming back to take classes after coming close to realizing dreams of six straight months of nightly baseball was a twist that was, at first, hard to turn into a positive.

After extensive conversations with Bakich and Athletic Director Graham Neff, though, Purify started to see this chance as an opportunity– a chance to bring Clemson back to success after a disappointing 2026 campaign, as well as the prospect of guiding younger players through their early careers.

“I was trying to process not being able to leave college in three years and just processing what it would be like for me in my fourth year,” Purify said. “We just kind of had those uncomfortable conversations and then ultimately it got comfortable for me. I was okay with the decision and it’s driving me towards what this year can be like for our team and what I can do for our freshmen and things like that.”

Now, the leader will get a chance to be a headliner for the Tigers’ 2027 campaign, along with starting pitcher Aidan Knaak, who was selected in the fifth-round and decided to come back to Clemson for his senior year as well.

The pair, along with several other veterans, will have a tough task to resurrect Clemson after a 31-26 (10-20 ACC) finish last year, but with an added chip on his shoulder, Purify believes the Tigers have a chance to be greatly improved.

“We didn’t like how it ended and that’s what we’ve been working towards,” he said.

The Tigers will get their first chances to bounce back this fall, participating in intersquad scrimmages against Georgia Tech and Coastal Carolina before getting their regular season started at the Shriners’ Children’s Classic in Arlington, Texas in the winter.