Linebacker With Defensive Honors on Clemson Tigers Visit

The Clemson Tigers have an ACC linebacker on campus who would help fill a desperate need with a standout player.

Cal linebacker Luke Ferrelli, who won ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, is on a Clemson visit on Tuesday. | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers will continue to host transfers over the course of this week, and there’s a visitor on Tuesday that would fill a critical need on the team’s defense. 

According to Tiger Illustrated’s Paul Strelow, California linebacker Luke Ferrelli is visiting Clemson on Tuesday. The redshirt freshman won the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year award at the end of this past season. 

Ferrelli had an outstanding season with the Golden Bears, starting all 12 games on defense and leading ACC freshmen in tackles and solo tackles, with 87 and 36, respectively. That tied him eighth overall in total tackles in the conference. He would also finish with a sack and an interception. 

His season gave Ferrelli an All-ACC Honorable Mention also, looking to build on that with a new team in 2025. He entered the transfer portal on Dec. 31, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Sources: Cal redshirt freshman linebacker Luke Ferrelli intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal. He won ACC Defensive Freshman of the Year. He finished the year with 91 tackles, 5 TFLs and an interception that sealed a win at Boston College. pic.twitter.com/oaSQju8iaf

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 1, 2026

The visit on Tuesday is an important one for head coach Dabo Swinney, who could potentially have the linebacker partner to rising junior Sammy Brown. Brown finished with an All-ACC First Team selection, pairing him with an up-and-coming linebacker like Ferrelli, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound player, who would bring a cornerstone to Clemson’s defense. 

Ferrelli is a three-star candidate in the transfer portal, according to On3. He is the No. 15 linebacker in the portal, being an important pickup for defensive coordinator Tom Allen, if he chooses the Tigers. 

Clemson has been in touch with other linebackers over the course of this cycle. USC transfer Matai Togoa’i had a visit yesterday, and the program is in touch with Bowling Green linebacker Gideon Lampron. 

Coming out of high school, Ferrelli was a three-star prospect, being the No. 134 linebacker in the Class of 2024. The Carlsbad, California, native, chose the state school over other schools like UNLV, San Diego State, Arizona and Texas A&M. He committed to the Wildcats first, then flipped to Stanford, and then switched to Cal to finalize his choice. 

The Tigers need to fill this need due to the departure of Wade Woodaz to the NFL Draft. Dee Crayton and Jamal Anderson have also entered the transfer portal, leaving the position group slim at the current moment. 

Others that are on campus today for their respective visits are defensive tackles Josh Hough and Kourtney Kelly.

Clemson Tigers on SI will remain updated with our transfer portal tracker, which will have the arrivals and departures of various players to the program.