Clemson Pursuing SEC Defensive Tackle as Portal Window Nears Close

With over 10 transfers acquired and only three days left in the portal's 15-day window, the Clemson Tigers' staff continues in search of another piece on the interior of the defensive line, showing recent interest in an SEC defensive tackle.

According to Tiger Illustrated's Paul Strelow with On3, LSU defensive tackle Walter Mathis Jr. is "among several options" that Clemson is looking at to round out their interior rotation. While no visit is scheduled yet, there's still a chance the Tigers land him.

The rising sophomore is rated a three-star transfer prospect and ranks as the No. 865 overall player and the No. 91 defensive lineman, according to On3 rankings.

Similar to other transfers that have landed at Clemson within the past two weeks, Mathis isn't a new player to the program. He was one of head coach Dabo Swinney's top priorities in the 2025 recruiting class, with the Tigers offering him in 2023 and hosting him for an on-campus visit in late May 2024, before he decided to cut his list down to LSU, Texas and Miami.

If he commits to the school, Mathis would join Oklahoma transfer Markus Strong and West Georgia transfer Kourtney Kelly in the defensive tackle rotation.

Who is Walter Mathis Jr?

Coming out of the 2025 class, the Georgia native was a force to be reckoned with, spending four years on varsity at Calvary Day School while totaling 194 tackles, 57.5 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.

Mathis finished his tenure as a four-star prospect and earned rankings of the No. 468 overall player, the No. 49 defensive lineman and the No. 63 player in his state, according to 247Sports Composite.

He received offers from over 30 schools, including some of the best in the nation, but ultimately decided to commit to LSU following official visits with Clemson, Miami, and Auburn.

As a true freshman this past season, Mathis sat in an experienced and crowded defensive tackle room, yet still managed to break the rotation, logging 139 snaps on the year. He finished the season with nine tackles and one pass deflection.

Following the end of the season, it was widely expected that Mathis would return to Baton Rouge, a belief the program itself reinforced by announcing his return.

However, his future at the school took a sharp turn once Lane Kiffin took the head coaching gig, bringing in former Clemson defensive tackle Stephiylan Green and Auburn transfer Malik Blocton, who Clemson targeted in this transfer cycle.

With two experienced interior linemen joining the program, along with several highly touted high school recruits, Mathis took to Twitter to announce his entry into the transfer portal.

I’ve notified LSU Compliance that I will be entering my name into the NCAA Transfer Portal.

I’m truly grateful to LSU, my coaches, my teammates, and the Tiger family for the opportunity — especially for trusting me to play significant snaps in the Defensive Tackle rotation as a…
— Walter “Buddy” Mathis Jr. (@beastinbuddy1) January 8, 2026

At 6-foot-2 and 285 pounds, Mathis profiles as a developmental interior presence who could contribute early in a rotational role — similar to, ironically, Stephiylan Green this past season — while continuing to grow within Clemson's defensive system.

His experience in a deep LSU defensive tackle room gives him familiarity with high-level competition, and his ability to hold ground at the point of attack would complement the Tigers' current interior options rather than overlap them.

Clemson Tigers on SI will remain updated with other interests, visitors, commitments and departures through our transfer portal tracker.