Five Positions to Watch in Clemson's Transfer Portal Campaign

Jan. 2 is an important day for college football, as the transfer portal opens up for all teams, beginning to make moves for the 2026 season.

This offseason is a big one for the Clemson Tigers, who had their worst season in 15 years and could be a defining next season for head coach Dabo Swinney, who has already expressed his interest in using the portal a little more than past seasons.

With a lot of positions to fill, here are the four biggest position groups to watch ahead of Clemson’s transfer portal quest.

Safety

The safety room has been depleted, especially over the course of this offseason so far, with the departures of Khalil Barnes, Rob Billings and Shelton Lewis to the transfer portal. Tyler Venables is out of eligibility, and the Tigers lost a commitment in Kaden Gebhardt, who flipped to Ohio State on Early Signing Day.

It means that the room will see a lot of change, and safeties coach Mickey Conn has also left to become the defensive coordinator at Samford.

Both of these factors will add into why safety will be a top need in the transfer portal.

Even from a number standpoint, having a veteran transfer, or even a raw standout, could aid Clemson’s position group, which will be under a lot of scrutiny under the second season under head coach Tom Allen. The Tigers saw some busted coverages against teams like SMU and Duke, and that should not be happening if the team wants to get back to the top of college football.

Running back

Clemson was 112th in rushing yards per game this past season, averaging 116.8 per contest in 2025. The year before, the Tigers averaged 163.8, which allowed them to go to the College Football Playoff.

A new offensive coordinator, with the loss of Garrett Riley, combined with a potentially new transfer running back, could bring that back. Balanced football is the key to success, and at times, Clemson couldn’t run the ball and became one-dimensional, which allowed opposing defenses to have solutions for a pass attack.

Gideon Davidson and David Eziomume are expected to take the next step, but adding another tailback could instill competition while giving Clemson another option in the backfield. While it’s not a necessity, it could be a creative way to get the running game going once again.

Linebacker

Similar to the safety room, the linebacker room will also look very new following the departure of Wade Woodaz to the NFL Draft.

Sammy Brown will return as the team’s keystone on that side of the ball, but he will need another linebacker alongside him to bring the Tiger defense back to the production of years past. Alabama transfer Jeremiah Alexander may see more snaps as well.

Whether from a depth or starter standpoint, don’t be surprised if head coach Dabo Swinney makes a move for another transfer linebacker in back-to-back seasons. Dee Crayton and Jamal Anderson entered the transfer portal as well, meaning if no moves are made, it would be an inexperienced room ahead of the team’s Week 1 matchup at LSU.

Offensive Line

While the offensive line is a developmental position, there has been a greater use of finding offensive linemen, or even pieces of former teammates, to play on the offensive line. That could be in the cards for the Tigers.

Clemson will lose four of its starters on its rotating offensive line: both tackles, Tristan Leigh and Blake Miller, center Ryan Linthicum and guard Walker Parks.

Obviously, there are plenty of rotational pieces that offensive line coach Matt Luke has faith in, but if he wants to get experience over talent, or another player in the room to bring that competition, don’t be surprised if Clemson is in talks for an offensive lineman.

2026 will be an important year for the offense, and nailing the offensive coordinator hire and his personnel will be imperative for Clemson’s success. That all starts with the trenches, and the Tigers will need to succeed with those choices.

Quarterback

Obviously, the most interesting question for Clemson is if a transfer quarterback will be in the cards, and it’s very possible.

It will depend on the offensive coordinator, most likely, but even if it’s a player to instill competition within Christopher Vizzina or Chris Denson, it could benefit the Tigers to do so.

Swinney has talked about it before, and he understands the importance of making sure that the decision is correct.

“[Vizzina’s] done his part, and he’s been waiting his time, and now’s his time,” Swinney said. “Now, he’s got to win the job. Same thing with Denson. I mean, Denson didn’t come here to just stand on the sideline; he came here to compete, so let’s go compete.”

While it’s not certain that it will happen, if Clemson is a target for transfer quarterbacks over the course of the next few weeks, it could made things interesting on what the offense will truly look like next season.