Clemson Lands Commitment from Former Intriguing Pass-Rusher, Per Report

The Clemson Tigers land a defender who was a top player at his position as a recruit

The Clemson Tigers land a former Deion Sanders player | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers’ pass rush was the team’s most obvious strength throughout the 2025 college football season, but that unit will look different moving forward. Clemson is set to lose standout defenders Peter Woods and T.J. Parker, both of whom are heading to the NFL Draft.

With the transfer portal operating in full swing, head coach Dabo Swinney and his staff have made it a priority to retool the defensive front, recently landing a commitment from a player who could help fill that void.

According to On3’s Hayes Fawcett, former Colorado Buffaloes edge rusher London Merritt has signed with the UCLA Bruins.

BREAKING: Colorado transfer EDGE London Merritt has committed to Clemson, @Hayesfawcett3 reports🦬https://t.co/kSYG7dZ8sR pic.twitter.com/4AzP2wXlVy

— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) January 8, 2026

After spending last season at Colorado, Merritt announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal on Jan.1. 

The 6-foot-3, 250-pounder played in all 12 games as a true freshman while starting one, finishing the season with 25 tackles, eight tackles-for-loss, a sack and six quarterback hurries.

His best game of the season came during Colorado’s 35-21 loss to TCU, when he finished with three tackles and the first sack of his career.

Last season, his eight tackles for loss were the second-highest total by a freshman in the Big 12 and fourth in the NCAA for true freshmen, helping him earn PFF All-Freshman Team honors and an All-Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year honorable mention.

As a recruit, ESPN ranked Merritt as the No.52 overall player in the country, the No.7 player in the state of Florida and the No.5 player at his position. During his final season at national powerhouse IMG Academy, he finished with 23 tackles, a sack, and four tackles-for-loss.

Before flipping his pledge to Colorado, he was originally committed to Ohio State.

As a transfer portal prospect, he is viewed as a three-star prospect with an 87/100 rating, slotting as the 36th-best edge rusher in the transfer portal and the 268th-best player overall.

Although the transfer portal has been open for less than a week, Clemson has already landed more transfer prospects this offseason than it has ever had before. 

Besides Merritt, they have also received pledges from Penn State cornerback Elliot Washington II, Southern Miss safety Corey Myrick, West Georgia defensive lineman Kourtney Kelley, Old Dominion Safety Jerome Carter III, Auburn cornerback Donovan Starr, Oklahoma defensive lineman Markus Strong and California linebacker Luke Ferrelli.

Up to this point, Merritt is tied with Washington II and Starr as the Tigers’ highest-rated transfer additions.