Clemson's Shawn Poppie Grabs Former Five-Star Recruit out of Transfer Portal

Just two days after the NCAA transfer portal closed, Clemson's Shawn Poppie was able to land a former five-star recruit from an ACC foe.

A late portal move brings in a once top-ranked prospect looking for a bigger role as Poppie keeps building. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Women's Basketball transfer portal closed three days ago, but that didn't mean Clemson Tigers head coach Shawn Poppie finished his recruitment process.

On Wednesday night, it was announced that North Carolina transfer Taliyah Henderson had committed to Clemson, as first reported by On3's Talia Goodman. She has three years left of eligibility remaining.

NEWS: UNC transfer Taliyah Henderson has committed to Clemson.

The 6-1 freshman averaged 3.7 ppg this season.

TRACKER: https://t.co/wYv1Ze6704 pic.twitter.com/WHkUi30TCL

— Talia Goodman (@TaliaGoodmanWBB) April 22, 2026

The news came on the heels of a recruiting battle between Ohio State — which recruited her out of high school — and Clemson, both of whom had hosted Henderson for visits within the past two weeks. By the end, though, the young guard chose to lace up for Poppie heading into the 2026-27 season.

This past season, the 6-foot-1 true freshman played just over 10 minutes a night while coming off the bench in all 33 games. In the limited playing time, she showed flashes but averaged just 3.7 points and 2 rebounds per game. Her best performance of the year came against SMU, where she dropped 13 points, two rebounds, one assist and two steals on 100% shooting from the field.

The Tar Heels reached the Women's NCAA Tournament as a 4 seed and made their second consecutive Sweet 16 appearance. However, Henderson still saw minimal minutes outside of their first round matchup against Western Illinois, where she tallied two points and three rebounds in 10 minutes.

While the freshman guard didn't see as much time or production on the floor as she most likely thought, her upside is undeniable heading forward.

Coming out of Salpointe Catholic in Tucson, Arizona, Henderson earned a five-star rating and ranked as the No. 24 overall player, the No. 7 small forward and the No. 1 player in her respective state, according to 247Sports Composite rankings.

As a junior for the Lancers, Henderson averaged 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists and 2.6 steals while playing just 20 minutes per game. She was on track for a stellar final year, but unfortunately, that dream was cut short when she tore her ACL before her senior season even began.

It's also important to note that she started every game for Team Canada at the FIBA U18 Women's AmeriCup in 2024, averaging 9.5 points and 6.3 rebounds, en route to earning a silver medal.

Looking ahead, it's hard to think that Henderson gets significant run as a starting guard, considering the Tigers have senior sharpshooter Rusne Augustinaite and Virginia Tech transfer Mackenzie Nelson.

However, it wouldn't be surprising if Poppie decides to slide her over to small forward as she has the size and experience to play the position. Not to mention, Clemson has only two upperclassmen listed at forward in Morgan Miller and Arkansas transfer Jenna Lawrence.