Clemson Basketball Forward Shows Scrappiness in Tuesday Win

Clemson improved to 3-0 with the tenacious play of one particular newcomer

Clemson Tigers forward RJ Godfrey has taken on a massive role early in the season | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Suwanee, Ga., native, RJ Godfrey, may have taken the long road to getting to the Clemson Tigers, but he’s carved out a sizable role on this Tigers team already.

Entering Tuesday night’s matchup with Morehead State, the former Georgia Bulldog had yet to record a double-double as a Clemson Tiger. Three games into his 2025-26 season, he has achieved that feat.

A 13-point, 11-rebound, 3-assist effort powered Clemson to a comfortable 83-56 win over Morehead State inside Littlejohn Coliseum. That effort also earned high praise from Morehead State head coach Jonathan Mattox.

“We had a tough time with RJ Godfrey tonight,” Mattox put it plainly postgame. “He's just a man. He’s got all the qualities to be a high-level offensive rebounder.”

Godfrey’s presence was felt early and often during Clemson’s third win of the young season. By halftime, he had scored seven points and grabbed nine rebounds, six of them offensive. The Tigers struggled to score effectively during the first half, shooting just 39.4% from the field and 33.3% from deep. Godfrey and the other Tigers bigs made sure those misses turned into second-chance opportunities.

“He needs to be a complete player,” head coach Brad Brownell said of Godfrey after the win. “He's off to a great start. His numbers are great, again. RJ’s been very good. He plays the game with great enthusiasm and energy, and our system is good for him.”

“I think that just stems from the coaching staff,” Godfrey said when asked about where that tenacity comes from. “Being here for three years, you’ve got to learn how to affect the game without scoring. I’ve seen it with other guys. With Ian [Schieffelin], he was a monster on the offensive glass, P.J. [Hall] was pretty good on the glass….Offensive rebounding is a mindset. It’s a battle of who wants it more. Settling that tone rubs off a little bit on the team. I’ve seen the guys in front of me master the art of that. I want to embrace that this year.”

Even when the lanky Godfrey didn’t see the floor, fans saw what he means to Brownell’s team. Without Godfrey or fellow 6-foot-10 forward Nick Davidson in the game, Clemson struggled to rebound against an Eagles team that they held a large size advantage over. Morehead State out-rebounded the Tigers 41-40 on the night, a largely unexpected mark.

“We needed to rebound better [tonight],” Brownell said. “That helped them….Tonight, it was a lot of offensive rebounding [by Morehead State].”

Next time they take the court, Clemson will face their toughest test so far this season in Georgetown. The Hoyas are off to a 2-0 start, with a blowout win over Morgan State and an impressive 10-point road victory at Maryland. Third-year head coach Ed Cooley sports a physical squad that will be looking for their second win over a power conference opponent.

"Ed's a terrific coach,” Brownell said on Tuesday night when asked about the Georgetown matchup. “He's got some good guards and a big, physical, tough team. We'll have our hands full. It'll be a challenge.”