Clemson Remains Active in Transfer Portal, Adds to Secondary

The Tigers continue to beef up the defense this offseason.

The Clemson Tigers added a former SEC defensive back as its third transfer commit on Tuesday. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

With the transfer portal continuing to churn, the Clemson Tigers have added another piece on defense.

Former Auburn safety Donovan Starr has committed to transfer to Clemson, per a Tuesday night report by CBS Sports pundits Chris Hummer and Matt Zenitz.

Clemson has signed Auburn CB Donovan Starr, @mzenitz and I for @CBSSports.

He ranks as the No. 25 CB in the @247SportsPortal rankings. https://t.co/32fxTYkuWW pic.twitter.com/5DmPbtyjWB

— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) January 7, 2026

Starr’s commitment was the third pledge that the Tigers received on Tuesday and the second in the secondary, along with Old Dominion safety Jerome Carter III and California linebacker Luke Ferrelli. 

The rising sophomore comes to Dabo Swinney and crew after a freshman campaign where he appeared in nine games for Hugh Freeze’s Tigers. Auburn deployed Starr in the secondary, as well as several times on special teams duty.

Out of high school, Starr was a four-star prospect who ranked among the top 150 in the 2025 class. Ranked the top cornerback in the state of Tennessee, he visited Clemson, Alabama, Illinois, Auburn and Vanderbilt before eventually choosing to attend Auburn.

In their first full offseason under defensive coordinator Tom Allen, head coach Dabo Swinney and Clemson have hit the ground running in the transfer portal. During the season, Allen had blunt descriptions for the types of players he wants to work with in the orange and regalia.

“You’ve got to be able to run,” Allen said on October 21 when asked about the ideal pieces in his defensive system. “This game is played in space. It’s what it is. This conference is coached in space. This league (the ACC) is a very wide-open league, and you’ve got to have speed.”

Starr checks the speed box, and then some. Before enrolling at Auburn, the Brentwood, Tennessee native was a standout in track and field. He won the Tennessee state title as a high school junior in the 100 meters, while also starring on the basketball court for Ravenwood High School.

That background checks another box that Allen loves: playing multiple sports.

“I love guys that play multiple sports,” Allen said back in October. “I think it’s just a competitive edge you have, a competitive mindset you have when you do things in a different setting. It is very important.”

As Clemson continues to potentially add more pieces to its 2026 roster through the transfer portal, one thing is becoming increasingly clear. Allen has his fingerprints on the Tigers’ defense moving forward. Clemson’s addition of Starr is the latest example of that.