RJ Godfrey’s Impact on Clemson Basketball is Undeniable

The transfer forward has made his second stint at Clemson one to remember.

Clemson Tigers forward RJ Godfrey is making the most of his second stint with the program. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

20 games into the No. 18 Clemson Tigers’ (17-4, 7-1 ACC) season, one truth has become plainly obvious to anyone watching the team: senior forward RJ Godfrey is the most impactful player on the Clemson roster.

With the Tigers sitting in a strong No. 2 spot in the ACC standings, vibes are high around the team. But that wasn’t always the case heading into this campaign.

Coming through🚂

📺ACCN pic.twitter.com/gal58LkMAD

— Clemson Basketball (@ClemsonMBB) January 24, 2026

Clemson’s record-breaking 27-7 season ended with a thud in the opening round of last year’s NCAA Tournament. After a thrilling 18-2 mark in conference play, including victories over Duke and North Carolina in February, hopes were high for a tournament run.

When those hopes were vanquished in a 69-67 loss to 12th-seeded McNeese, the future for the program looked uncertain. A team with so much returning production from the previous season was faced with almost the complete opposite situation. They’d have to build the 2025-26 team from the ground up.

Senior guard Dillon Hunter was the lone returner from the rotation, though he made just nine starts in 30 games played. That meant that head coach Brad Brownell had to overhaul nearly the entire rotation in one offseason. 

Where did he turn when faced with the daunting challenge?

He targeted Godfrey, the Suwanee, Georgia product who had transferred away from the Tigers after two seasons to compete in the SEC with the Georgia Bulldogs. In 33 games in Athens, the tenacious 6-foot-8 forward posted career per-game highs in minutes played, points, rebounds, and assists. Georgia earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed, but was defeated in the opening round by perennial powerhouse Gonzaga.

What Godfrey brought back to Clemson has taken the Tigers to another level. Brownell has spoken of the valuable leadership that a player with Godfrey’s experience gives his team. That leadership was evident early in non-conference play, when back-to-back double-digit scoring games from the senior led Clemson to winning the Charleston Classic’s Palmetto Bracket title, despite adversity in several parts of both games.

On Saturday, inside Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion, the Tigers were faced with more adversity. Clemson led 30-23 late in the first half, before a 10-2 Yellow Jacket run saw the Tigers behind and facing a rabid Georgia Tech crowd.

From there, Clemson collected itself as a team and refocused, outscoring the Yellow Jackets 45-30 over the final 21:17 of game time. Despite Godfrey’s foul trouble during the second half, and playing less than 18 minutes (his fourth-fewest of the season), he still finished the game as a plus-18, second-best among all players.

“His athleticism [sticks out],” Brownell said. “His physicality, his experience now. He's a much more experienced player that's been through the wars. He just has gotten better and better and  obviously can have an impact on the game, not just with scoring, but with his defense and rebounding and his toughness. I think he brings an element of toughness to our team. Obviously we're thrilled that he's back and I think he's having a terrific season.”

I asked Brad Brownell about RJ Godfrey’s impact (plus-18 today despite playing fewer minutes):

“He has just gotten better and better”, Brownell said. pic.twitter.com/FCM39E8mcI

— Drew Cagle (@_dcagle) January 24, 2026

The Tigers and Godfrey will look to continue their strong season next Saturday afternoon with a noon tip-off against the Pittsburgh Panthers back home at Littlejohn Coliseum.