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Star Transfer Guard in Contact With Clemson Tigers

Brad Brownell and the Clemson Tigers are targeting this guard in the transfer portal
Drew Cagle|
Clemson is targeting a guard in the portal
Clemson is targeting a guard in the portal | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

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Clemson Tigers

After seeing three guards graduate this past season, the Clemson Tigers require backcourt help. Although the NCAA transfer portal has been open for only a few days, Brad Brownell’s team has been connected to a number of players.

According to Sam Kayser of League Ready, Clemson has been in contact with Charleston Southern guard Brycen Blaine. Blaine, a rising senior from Richmond, VA, has been in contact with Pittsburgh, DePaul, Utah, and several mid-major programs in addition to the Tigers.

The 6-foot-5 shooting guard is coming off a career year with the Buccaneers, averaging 17.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. His 34.6% three-point percentage ranked third among qualified shooters in the Big South.

Despite Charleston Southern finishing just seventh in the nine-team league, Blaine shone the brightest against the toughest opponents on the schedule. Against Virginia Tech in the team’s season opener, he scored 22 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Just a week later, he exploded for 42 points in a comfortable win over The Citadel.

In the Buccaneers’ final test against a power conference opponent, Blaine scored 23 points to go with 5 rebounds and 4 assists against South Carolina. He’s proven that his game can scale up, even against more complete defensive teams that have NCAA Tournament aspirations.

Before this past season at CSU, Blaine spent three seasons at James Madison and Gulf Coast State, steadily building toward his breakout season.

For Clemson, adding a player with Blaine’s size, scoring, and rebounding abilities could address a clear need for proven production on a roster that returns little of it. The Tigers are replacing guards like Jestin Porter, Dillon Hunter, and Butta Johnson, all of whom played major minutes as starters for last year’s squad.

With plenty of minutes and potential starting opportunities available for the 2026-27 Tigers, landing an experienced and highly productive guard like Blaine could provide an immediate boost as Brownell and his staff continue to reshape the roster through the portal.

In a 2024 interview, Blaine said that “my favorite thing about basketball is to compete, and the trash talking, the bickering on the court. It gets me going.”

We’ll likely see if that trash-talking is on its way to Littlejohn Coliseum before the transfer portal closes on April 20.

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Drew Cagle
DREW CAGLE

Drew is a product of Anderson University's School of Communication, where he was also a collegiate tennis player. In the past, he has worked with Clemson Sports Media and FanSided among others.

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