Clemson Tigers Tight End Enters Transfer Portal

Clemson Tigers tight end Josh Sapp entered the transfer portal on Thursday night, as first reported by On3’s Larry Williams.

Sapp becomes the ninth player — and third offensive piece — to enter the transfer portal for the Tigers ahead of the Jan. 2 open date, looking for a new opportunity elsewhere.

Coming out of the 2022 class, Sapp was rated as a three-star prospect and held a ranking of the No. 97 tight end nationally and the No. 23 player from South Carolina, according to 247Sports.

Unsurprisingly, he chose to join Clemson as a legacy commit, following in the footsteps of his father, Patrick Sapp, who played for the Tigers in the mid-1990s.

During his dad’s four-year career, he made the rare transition from quarterback to linebacker, a move that allowed him to thrive defensively and ultimately become the No. 50 overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft.

While his father’s legacy set the stage, Sapp’s own time in upstate South Carolina followed a slower, developmental path.

After arriving on campus in the summer of 2022, Sapp spent his first season in orange redshirting, appearing in just two games and logging five total snaps. Those came against Louisiana Tech and North Carolina, as the pass-catcher worked primarily behind a crowded position group led by now-Los Angeles Rams tight end Davis Allen.

In 2023, Sapp emerged as the primary backup to future star tight end Jake Briningstool, carving out a role as a reliable red-zone target and showing clear upward momentum heading into 2024. He logged 57 snaps over his final four games (85 total snaps in 2023) and across 13 appearances, finished with seven receptions for 60 yards and two touchdowns.

Ahead of the 2024 season, Sapp was overtaken for the backup role by Olsen Patt-Henry, who went on to start for the Tigers this past year. Although the redshirt sophomore saw an increase in playing time, his production remained essentially unchanged. Across 13 games, he recorded six receptions for 62 yards, but did not find the end zone.

This past season, operating within a rotating tight end room but still listed as Clemson’s third-string option behind Patt-Henry and redshirt freshman Christian Bentancur, Sapp logged the fewest snaps of the trio with 267 total. Even so, he turned his limited opportunities into career-high production, finishing the season with 11 receptions for 150 yards.

Bentancur, meanwhile, flashed significant upside as the backup behind Patt-Henry, catching 20 passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns — two of which came against North Carolina — and has positioned himself as a potential starter for the Tigers heading into 2026.

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