How a Boomerang Transfer Has Become Clemson’s Most Trusted Leader

While Clemson basketball added 10 new players to its roster this season, leaving only one player with minutes from last season’s team, one of the players acquired was a familiar face.

After a season at Georgia, forward RJ Godfrey returned to the Tigers for his final year of eligibility, playing his first two seasons under head coach Brad Brownell.

However fourth year Godfrey and his underclassmen seasons have been two different versions of the energetic forward. Brownell spoke about the leadership that he brings to a new-look team, allowing it to gel a lot quicker than a typical team in this circumstance would.

“He’s doing an unbelievable job,” Brownell said on Monday night’s Tiger Hour. We talked about it a little earlier, I’ll brag on him. He and Dillon [Hunter] have done an unbelievable job of leading.”

Godfrey has just followed in the footsteps of former Clemson players, leaning on what they taught him. His freshman season, players like Hunter Tyson and Brevin Galloway were the mentors. His sophomore year was PJ Hall.

The alumni have activated his leadership, which has been on display in nearly every game of the 2025-26 season.

“I’ve been on a lot of really good teams with multiple good players and stuff, but I think it’s the leaders, like you said, who kind of instilled that team asset,” Godfrey said. “Like guys like Hunt, I’ve never heard Hunt complain. . .PJ, he’s the star out here. Like, he never talks about himself.”

Especially with Hall, who was a raw, athletic prospect that molded himself into a Clemson legend. That is similar to Godfrey, and he took from the center and worked on building the team up.

“He never talks, it’s always about someone else, and he was just such a good mentor to me, and I think he’s probably the most unselfish guy I’ve met since leading high school,” he said. “I think that kind of rubbed off on me, you know.”

Now, he’s taken other guys under his wing, not even just freshmen. Brownell spoke about Nick Davidson, who Godfrey helped in more ways than one. Davidson lost his father around his time of transferring, and Godfrey lifted his spirits every day, both “off the court and on the court.”

Inversely, Davidson has some of the qualities that Hall has, which Godfrey takes note of.

“Nick is one of my favorite teammates I’ve ever had,” he said. “...it’s always about someone else. It’s never about him, and it’s one quality that I’ve also taken from Nick, but Nick has been awesome.”

As for the freshmen, the rite of passage has seen even players like Hall in years past look up to guys like Aamir Simms. Godfrey’s player this year has been Trent Steinour, saying how “hungry and determined” he is to be an outstanding player for this program.

Before Godfrey leaves in May, he wants to tell him how proud he is of him.

“Before I leave here, I want to kind of spill my love out to him, like PJ did with me and Hunt did with me,” he said. “He’s just awesome, dude, and I’m so glad God has introduced me to something like that.”

Brownell definitely doesn’t want his fourth-year player to leave, but he’s thankful the impact that he’s left on the players returning next season.

“They’ve been unreal in terms of what they’ve done,” Brownell said. “A lot of people didn’t know if this yer’s team would be able to achieve some big things, and I think those two guys and me, we all decided, ‘Hey, we’re going to make sure that people don’t underestimate us and they’ve played very well.”

Godfrey is back in action on Wednesday night, when the Tigers play Wake Forest with hopes to snap a two-game skid.