Clemson Tigers Named Among ESPN’s Hottest Transfer Portal Teams

With the transfer portal window still open until January 17 and over 6,000 players left in the portal, multiple teams across the country are building intriguing incoming classes.

This past Saturday, ESPN's Max Olson released his list of the top-10 teams off to the hottest starts in the transfer portal, and the Clemson Tigers made the cut.

Olson opened his segment on the Tigers by praising Dabo Swinney and his staff for finally embracing the transfer portal, a move deemed necessary after losing a multitude of starter-caliber players and finishing with a 7-6 record, their worst since 2010.

"Let's give credit where credit is due," he began. "Dabo Swinney took a lot of grief over the years for his resistance to portal recruiting."

While this isn't the first time Clemson's staff has utilized the transfer portal, they've finally begun to understand just how impactful it can be when the right player fits the right system, regardless of how they got there.

One of the best examples this past season was Purdue transfer Will Heldt, who outshone NFL-caliber talents like Peter Woods and T.J. Parker along the defensive line.

In 2025, the 6-foot-6 edge rusher broke out with 46 tackles, 15.5 for a loss (team-high) and 7.5 sacks (team-high). Heldt was named an All-ACC Honorable Mention following the season's end.

Southeast Missouri State (SEMO) transfer Tristan Smith and Alabama transfer Jeremiah Alexander also made their presence felt, delivering notable plays as their roles expanded throughout the season.

"The trio of transfers he brought in a year ago -- Will Heldt, Tristan Smith and Jeremiah Alexander -- all paid off and started games this season, with Heldt emerging as an All-ACC performer," Olson continued.

With that newfound success as proof of concept, Clemson wasted little time ramping up its portal activity this offseason.

"Now, the Tigers are fully going for it this year, signing a strong group of defensive contributors to help get things fixed after a disappointing 7-6 season," Olson mentioned.

A majority of that early momentum stems from Clemson's defense, where defensive coordinator Tom Allen has aggressively reshaped the unit through the portal after acknowledging in December that the roster overhaul was a necessity rather than a luxury.

At the time the article was published, all eight of Clemson's transfers had come on the defensive side of the ball, a group Olson highlighted while breaking down the key pieces already in place.

"[Luke] Ferrelli was the ACC's Defensive Rookie of the Year at Cal this season as a redshirt freshman," Olson said. "[Jerome] Carter and [Corey] Myrick were two of the top safeties in the Sun Belt, and [London] Merritt and [Donovan] Starr are two promising freshmen who were ESPN 300 recruits a year ago. Clemson is off to a good start."

Since the article was published, the Tigers have acquired two more transfers: Howard defensive end C.J. Wesley and the team's first offensive transfer, SMU running back Chris Johnson Jr.

For a complete and continually updated look at everyone who has transferred into the program, along with reported interests, visitors and departures, fans can check out the Clemson Tigers on SI's 2026 transfer portal tracker.