Clemson Tigers Reach Out to Michigan State Transfer Safety

The Clemson Tigers and defensive coordinator Tom Allen continue to roll early in the transfer portal cycle, reaching out to Michigan State transfer Justin Denson Jr, as first reported by JGPCFB on X (Formerly Twitter).

He is rated as a three-star transfer prospect and ranks as the No. 659 overall player and the No. 68 safety, according to 247Sports rankings.

Former Michigan State Defensive Back Justin Denson Jr. has been in contact with these 19 schools since entering the Transfer Portal, he tells me.

The 6'2", 200 lb DB appeared in 11 games for the Spartans & was one of the Top Graded Freshman DBs last year (PFF)

He's planning to… pic.twitter.com/aSI95zk5hg
— JGPCFB (@jgpvisuals) January 4, 2026

Denson is now the fourth reported safety Clemson has reached out to, as the Tigers look to address a pressing need for talent and depth on the back-end. Clemson has already lost six players from its secondary, including ACC interception leader Ricardo Jones and projected first-round cornerback Avieon Terrell.

Intensifying the issue, Clemson also missed out on key high school targets during the 2026 high school recruiting cycle, with four-star Kaden Gebhardt flipping to Ohio State and three-star Blake Stewart flipping to Georgia.

Following those recruiting setbacks — and a season in which Clemson fielded one of the nation's poorest-performing secondaries — longtime safeties coach Mickey Conn was relieved of his duties at the conclusion of the season.

With the position undergoing a complete reset after those departures and personnel changes, the Clemson staff has since taken an aggressive approach to reinforcing the secondary through the transfer portal.

In addition to Denson, the Tigers are evaluating Kansas transfer safety Lyrik Rawls, who is scheduled to visit Death Valley for an official visit on January 10-11. Clemson has also shown interest in Florida State transfer Edwin Joseph Jr. and Memphis transfer Chris Bracy, who visited Death Valley on Sunday.

Who is Justin Denson Jr?

Coming out of the 2024 recruiting cycle, Denson emerged as a highly regarded All-American and one of the top cornerbacks in the state of Pennsylvania.

He was rated as a three-star prospect and ranked as the No. 776 overall player, the No. 66 safety and the No. 21 player in his state, according to 247Sports Composite.

Denson garnered significant attention on the recruiting trail following his senior season, holding offers from Alabama, Notre Dame, Miami, Florida, Texas A&M, and several other schools before ultimately committing to the Spartans.

Arriving in East Lansing as the highest-ranked incoming cornerback, Denson spent the next year of his career developing within Michigan State's secondary. As a true freshman, he played in eight games and totaled just 13 tackles, but Denson's future looked promising as he allowed zero catches on the season and played a career-high 50 snaps in the team's final game against Rutgers.

However, things didn't go as expected in 2025 for Denson, as he only played in the Spartans' first three contests, which preserved his redshirt and allowed him to retain three years of eligibility. As a sophomore, he was credited with three tackles on the season.

Denson's remaining eligibility is particularly noteworthy given Clemson's current roster makeup, as the Tigers' safety room currently features just six rotational players: junior Ronan Hanafin, redshirt junior Kylon Griffin, true freshman Ja'Karrion Kenan, redshirt sophomore Kylen Webb and redshirt freshmen Noah Dixon and Joe Wilkinson.

Clemson Tigers on SI will continue to provide coverage of every player in the transfer portal through our portal tracker.