Clemson Tigers Eyeing Potential Visit From SEC Defensive Lineman

It’s only the second day of the transfer portal opening for the Clemson Tigers, and they are looking for more depth to their defensive line with a potential visit.

Oklahoma defensive lineman Markus Strong is looking to schedule a trip to visit Clemson over the course of this upcoming week. It was reported overnight by On3’s Kentucky reporter, Jacob Polacheck.

NEW: Oklahoma DL transfer Markus Strong will visit Kentucky on Sunday, Jan. 4, his agent @CRogSuperAgent tells KSR+.

Strong also has a visit planned to Arkansas, and is eying trips to Clemson and Oklahoma State.

FREE: https://t.co/GBMIqoiYeD pic.twitter.com/9ziCqB1a20
— Jacob Polacheck (@PolacheckKSR) January 3, 2026

The redshirt sophomore has seen limited time with the Sooners over the last three seasons, having two years of eligibility wherever he goes next. For the Tigers, it would fill a key need at the defensive tackle position, something that they are lacking with players leaving through the transfer portal and NFL Draft.

Over his time at Oklahoma, Strong recorded a total of 11 tackles and three sacks. On a ferocious Sooner defense, he fell behind in the depth chart, leading to the choice of leaving the program for something new. In 2025, he recorded eight of those tackles, including a sack against Kent State.

Clemson isn’t the only team that is in the running for the Railford, Florida, native. According to Polacheck, Strong will be visiting the Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday, and has a visit planned for Arkansas later on. Oklahoma State is also a team that he is interested in with the Tigers.

Coming out of high school, Strong was a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports. He was the No. 142 defensive lineman in the Class of 2023. He committed to the Sooners over schools like Georgia Tech, Kansas and West Virginia.

Strong isn’t the only defensive lineman that the Tigers are also currently looking at. On Friday, Clemson Tigers on SI learned that Florida State transfer Jayson Jenkins was also interested in planning a visit with the program, filling an important need.

Head coach Dabo Swinney is currently slim at the position due to the departures of starters DeMonte Capehart and Peter Woods, who declared for the NFL Draft after the regular season ended. Then, his program lost the likes of Caden Story and Stephiylan Green, who both decided to enter the transfer portal before it opened on Jan. 2.

The addition of Strong would provide depth, and the 6-foot-3, 297-pound player would be a valuable piece to help fill defensive tackles coach Nick Eason’s room.

Clemson Tigers on SI will monitor Strong, as well as other arrivals and departures, with our transfer portal tracker, which will provide live updates throughout the period.