Clemson Targets Local Sharpshooting Transfer Guard

The Clemson Tigers are losing three players from their backcourt in Dillon Hunter, Jestin Porter and Butta Johnson, who recently entered the transfer portal and is attempting to get a fifth year of eligibility.

In response to that, head coach Brad Brownell and his staff have gone out of their way to find more talent out of the portal, with the most recent being Monmouth guard Justin Ray, who’s been in contact with the program and nearly 20 others, as first reported by Tim Thomas of The Tech Lunch Pail.

Monmouth G Justin Ray tells me he’s heard from the following schools:

Wake Forest
Clemson
Auburn
SMU
Boise State
Mississippi State
Oklahoma State
Baylor
Alabama
South Florida
Charlotte
ECU
George Mason
Furman
Wofford
App State
Duquesne
Fordham
Arkansas State
Northern Iowa https://t.co/tvb3D88H5V
— Tim Thomas (@TimThomasTLP) April 9, 2026

This past season, Ray had a breakout year, putting up 11.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game across 21 starts while playing nearly 30 minutes a night. He also finished among the best shooters in the country, knocking down 42% of his 4.6 attempts per night.

Prior to his 2025-26 campaign, Ray didn’t see the court much as a true freshman for the Hawks, averaging just 3.4 points and 8.6 minutes played per game across 32 contests.

The 6-foot-3 junior has heard from multiple other high-majors, including Alabama, Mississippi State, Baylor, SMU, Wake Forest and more. However, the drawing factor to Clemson looks to be where he’s from, that is, Greer, South Carolina, which is just an hour away from Tiger town.

He attended Eastside High School and was a star at the local level, averaging 22 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and two steals per game during his three-year varsity tenure. By the end of his Eagles career, he had accumulated 1,810 points — a program record — earned four consecutive All-State selections and was named to the North Carolina/South Carolina game.

But somehow, he still flew under the radar nationally, receiving just four Division I offers: Monmouth, Wofford, USC Upstate and Western Carolina.

Even now, he remains unranked in the portal after an impressive sophomore season, but Brownell seems to always lure in talent from smaller schools, and Ray could absolutely be the next.

With Zac Foster still recovering from his ACL tear that he suffered in early-season play, the junior would bring in more depth and experienced guard play alongside redshirt sophomore Ace Buckner, as well as incoming freshmen Harris Reynolds and Amare James. He'd also bring a shooting stroke that the Tigers are in dire need of, as the team finished No. 176 in the nation for three-point efficiency (34.12%).

Clemson Tigers on SI will remain updated on the local guard’s situation, as well as the other players the Tigers and Brownell are in contact with through our transfer portal tracker.